Through the Ages (Old)
by FidgetGlitterBlossom
Summary: Sofia has a problem, Royal Prep has a bully, Cedric thinks he has a solution. Sofia is keeping a terrible secret, and there's only one person who can help her. Fluffy Cedfia with aged-down Cedric/Sofia in later chapters. Rated T for violence and a few incidents of suggested nudity. In the process of editing/condensing chapters... Messy inside.
1. Chapter 1

**REBOOT COMING IN 2019. Progress updates are posted on Tumblr.**

 **Author's note:** I don't own Sofia, all characters of the story except for OCs are property of Disney, so on and so forth... ((With the reboot coming, I'm restoring this version to its original form. Please be patient if you notice something missing, it'll be back soon.))

 **Spells,** _thoughts,_ animal speaking

* * *

Sofia's entire body ached. She checked the mirror to make sure the puffy purple dress she had picked out would cover all the bruises that littered her skin. That's when she noticed that her eye was starting to swell and turn dark. She fought the urge to cry again.

Think, Sofia. You can't go down to breakfast like this. She considered her situation carefully. _I know, maybe Mr_ _Ceedric_ _can help me._ _He can use magic to get rid of the bruises._ It wasn't a great option. She really didn't want to tell anybody about this. But she couldn't see any way around it.

"I wish to be small." She said, clutching the purple amulet she always wore around her neck. The magical amulet transformed her into a tiny version of herself, and she entered the castle's hidden corridors through the little round entrance in her room. She'd have to thank Clover again for pointing that door out to her. Once inside, she asked the amulet to return her to normal size. She made her way through the familiar twisting corridors, being sure to get as close to the royal sorcerer's tower as she could before exiting back into the castle's inner halls. She looked all around to make sure that the coast was clear. Sofia moved as quickly and quietly as she could to the sorcerer's room. She gathered her courage and knocked on the door.

"Mr Cee-dric." She said, barely above a whisper. There was no answer.

"Mr Cee-dric!" She repeated, a bit louder and even more urgently. She tried the knob and found that the door opened easily. She entered the tower, making sure to close the door behind her.

"He's sleeping!" Wormwood, Cedric's black crow familiar, gave an unhappy caw. Sofia ignored him and slowly made her way across the room to Cedric's bedside.

Cedric was fast asleep. Sofia looked over the man's dark hair with white bangs, and his handsome face with a prominent pointed nose. She'd never seen him sleeping before, and under other circumstances she would have liked to watch her friend a moment. _I'll tell him as little as possible. I just need him to do the spell so I can go._

"Mr Ceedric, please wake up. It's very urgent that I speak with you." She pleaded, her voice a normal volume now that she was safely within the confines of his tower. Cedric gave out a groan and rolled over, still fast asleep. Sofia was beginning to panic. She couldn't be late to breakfast, and she couldn't go down like this. She didn't want a single person to see her like this, but coming to Cedric was the only option she had. She reached her small hands out timidly and placed them on the sorcerer's pale, slender shoulders.

"Mr Cee-dric, please. Wake up!" She shook him slightly at first. When that didn't work, she shook him harder.

"Huh, wha-?" He muttered sleepily. He opened his eyes just a tiny slit, and spotted the blurry outline of the youngest princess. He shot upright, startled completely out of his slumber.

"Princess! What in Enchancia are you doing? Don't you know better than to go around waking people in the middle of the night? And why don't you EVER kno-" His sentence was cut off as he got his first clear look at Sofia's face. He felt like the air had been let out of his lungs. He took stock of the young girl's features. It was clear she hadn't slept, at least not enough. And she had obviously been crying for a good long time. Finally, he rested on her black eye. It looked just awful.

"Princess?" He asked, bewildered.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Mr Ceedric. I really am. I just need you to do a spell." Sofia explained, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes again. Cedric slowly reached out and wiped a tear that had escaped and was making it's way lazily down her cheek.

"Come now, Princess. Tell me what you need, and I'll do what I can." Cedric replied softly, surprised at the gentleness in his own voice. Cedric was not exactly a kind man, at least be didn't consider himself to be.

"I need you to make my eye look better, Mr Ceedric. Please, I can't go down to breakfast looking like this." She explained.

"No, that certainly wouldn't do, would it?" Cedric mused, partly to himself. Normally, Cedric would come up with a way to twist things around so he could get at her magical amulet. Right now, he was too stunned by her appearance for it to even cross his mind. He went to stand, but realised something embarrassing.

"Princess, I need you to turn around and close your eyes for a moment." He said sheepishly. Sofia finally noticed that the sorcerer was shirtless and practically jumped.

"I'm so sorry, Mr Ceedric!" She said spinning around quickly and squeezing her eyes shut as tightly as she could without the injured one hurting. Cedric began to dress himself, glad for the heavy black blanket that had kept her from seeing just how much of him was bare.

When he finished putting on his large sorcerer's robe, Cedric lifted his eyes to Sofia, ready to let her know he was decent. Two more bruises were visible from behind. He studied them for a second. One was just peeking out from the top of her dress, and one on her arm, just above her elbow. The second one looked like fingers, he realised, looking at his own fingers as if to confirm this. What happened to you, child? Cedric chased away some unpleasant thoughts about his own youth. _That's impossible. Everybody loves Princess Sofia._

He tried to remember anything relevant. Some clue to what had happened. _She was supposed to come up for a magic lesson yesterday,_ he recalled. _But she went straight to her room after school._ She told a servant she was ill and wanted to be left alone to sleep. Someone who worked in the palace had informed him that she would be missing her lesson. He hadn't paid much attention at the time, as he had mostly been glad to be able to spend the evening in his tower with his books instead. Has she been crying alone in her room all night? He hated to think of it. He cleared his throat.

"Alright, Princess. You may open your eyes, now." He stated, trying to maintain a normal tone. He stood and went to his spell book. Here it was, a glamour spell to hide the bruises. He wished he had something that would heal them, instead, but those spells were trickier and he knew for a fact that he didn't have the proper ingredients on hand. He positioned the little princess just so, picked up his wand, and made sure his arms were held properly.

 **"Imperfectum Indicernicus!"** He recited, aiming the wand at Sofia. A soft light came out of the tip of his wand and arched at her body, making her glow for a second before the magic light disappeared completely. Sofia dashed to the only mirror Cedric had in his room, and studied her face. Not only was the bruise missing, but she looked as if she had slept well and never shed a tear all night.

"You did it, Mr Ceedric! You really did it!" She exclaimed, running back across the room to hug him around the waist. He quickly pulled the child away, embarrassed at the display of affection.

"It's not a very good spell, I'm afraid. The bruises are still there. They are simply hidden. It will get you through the school day, but then you must come back. It has to be done about every 6 hours." He explained the spell's limitations to her quickly as she bounded towards the door, waving behind her.

"I guess I'll be seeing you a lot, then, Mr Ceedric." She said, turning to give him a bright smile before leaving for breakfast.

"I guess you will, Princess." He muttered to the empty room, studying his fingers again to make sure he'd seen what he thought he did.

 _Thank you, Mr Cedric! You really are my best friend_. She thought happily to herself as she made her way down the halls.


	2. Chapter 2

Things went on like this for weeks. Sofia was in Cedric's room every six hours like clockwork. Every afternoon, without fail, she looked worse than she had when she left in the morning. Because it was quick and easy, he was still using the glamor spell for anything cosmetic, but he'd gathered the ingredients for better healing spells in case he should need them. To pass the time until the glamor spell wore off and could be used again, which varied a bit from casting to casting, they shared tea and studied magic. She even taught him some of her favorite games. He thought the games were silly, and normally would have protested or outright refused, but he was beginning to think he'd do almost anything to put a smile on her little face. The only thing they didn't do in the time they spent together was talk about what was really happening to Sofia.

* * *

"Enough is enough!" Cedric declared resolutely after Sofia left their morning session.

The time he'd been dreading but preparing for had finally come. He had spent the morning making a very complex healing potion to reset a broken rib for poor Sofia. He couldn't believe how bad things had gotten for the little princess. He absolutely begged her to tell him what had caused the break, but she was even more insistent on keeping her secret than ever. He stared at himself in the mirror, a look of steadfast determination set on his face. For weeks he'd been racking his brain trying to think of a way, _any_ way, that he could help the princess.

He even tried to tell the king himself on a few occasions, but Sofia was always there, her eyes pleading with him to keep her confidence. Whenever he tried to approach the king without Sofia around, he floundered and lost his nerve, the king treating him as if he were wasting his time as Cedric tried to stammer out what he desperately needed to say.

He had never been good around King Roland, ever since the man had teased him mercilessly and treated him quite cruelly as children. He liked to think the king, like everyone else who lived there, changed for the better since Sofia had arrived at the castle, but he could still hear the occasional disparaging remark Roland muttered behind his back, and it was enough to make sincere conversation very difficult.

His thoughts returned to the spell he was about to cast. Last night, he had found his answer, a brilliant idea for how to finally help Sofia. _Just so I can be left alone,_ he tried to convince himself. If she wouldn't talk to him about what was really happening, he would just have to see it for himself. He held his wand just right and took a deep breath.

" **Tempus Reversum!** " He stated firmly. Smoke rose up and swirled around him. His body felt strange and tingled all over. It was a very odd sensation. When the smoke cleared, everything in his room was larger than it had been. Or rather, he was shorter than he used to be. He checked his reflection again. Staring back at him was an eleven-year-old boy, with dark hair, except for two thick white streaks in the front. The facial features were his, but not his, everything familiar and strange all at the same time.

Cedric wondered to himself if he was ever really this young. It seemed like another life that someone else had lived, and he merely knew a little about it. He looked down at his now comically oversized robe. _That won't do at all._ He tried to picture the clothes he'd always seen James wear and conjured up something similar, only black and dark purple. He made himself a pair of smaller gloves, while he was at it. Then, he took one last glance at the round face and wide amber eyes in the mirror and transported himself out of the tower.

Cedric was pleased to see that he ended up right where he intended to, just out of sight of the childrens' school. He heard Sofia say goodbye to the carriage driver, and noted how fake her cheerful tone sounded to his now trained ear. Over the last several weeks, he had accidentally become an expert in all things Sofia. He conjured up some very official looking papers, tucked his wand away, and hurried towards the front of the school, getting there just in time to watch Sofia trudge sadly through the doors. _I'm going to help you, Princess._ He promised her in his head. _I will put a stop to this._

Just as he was about to make his way inside the school, James came up the walkway and spotted him.

"Hi, are you new here?" He asked cheerfully. Cedric snapped out of his thoughts and whipped around to face the prince.

"Yes, I'm from the kingdom of Latia." He lied to the boy, handing him the enchanted papers.

"Latia? I don't think I've ever heard of-" When James touched the papers, a jolt of magic ran through him, and he handed them back to Cedric with a smile.

"Oh, yes. Latia! I hear it's very nice there." He said, the enchantment on the papers working perfectly.

"Yes, you'll have to see it for yourself sometime." Cedric said dryly.

"Here, I'll show you where you need to go." James offered, and the boys walked through the doors into the school building.

The enchanted papers worked perfectly on the administration of the school, too. They even clucked their tongues and cooed over Cedric for having lost his parents at 'such a young age'.

"It's a shame what happened to your parents." Miss Merryweather sighed.

"I remember hearing about it. What a horrible accident." Flora added softly, even though she clearly couldn't have heard anything about it at all.

"Hopefully, you can make some new, happier memories here at Royal Preparatory." Fauna told him gently, trying to change the supposedly sensitive subject.

He couldn't actually control how the papers affected everyone. There were people who touched them and were convinced they'd been to Latia, or even met him and his deceased parents. Others, like James, only became vaguely aware of their existence. The only constant was that anyone who touched the papers would be positive that he was the recently orphaned prince of a real kingdom called Latia.

He was disappointed to find out that he would not be in class with Sofia, because his spell had not made him quite young enough, and his fake transcripts gave him too much experience to lump him into the beginner courses. _How can I watch over her when I'm not even in her class?_ He lamented.

Cedric barely paid attention to the morning courses, since he wouldn't be attending long, anyways. He worried that something could be happening to the princess right now, and he'd be stuck here in etiquette lessons instead of with her. After what seemed like an eternity, it was time to go outside.

Cedric spotted Sofia practically glued to her siblings, the three of them playing hopscotch. He stayed just far enough away from the royal siblings to keep an eye on things, watching Sofia pretend to enjoy herself, even though she was clearly miserable. He intended to observe from a distance until he was needed.

James spotted his new friend and ran over, waving jovially. The two boys exchanged greetings, and James was beginning to ask him about how his first day had been going, but he stopped when he followed the sorcerer's intense gaze to the girls.

"Oh, how rude of me. Come and meet my sisters." James offered. He practically dragged Cedric over to the girls he had been trying to keep a safe distance from.

"This is my sister Amber, and my sister Sofia." James introduced the girls to Cedric, completely unaware that they already knew each other quite well.

"I'm Mendax. But you can call me Dax." Cedric told the girls, waving politely.

"I know a ghost named Dax." Sofia said, snapping out of her slump for a moment. She studied him so intently that he thought for sure she'd seen right through his guise.

"What an _interesting_ name! What does it mean?" Amber asked, leaning closer to Cedric than he was accustomed to being with her.

"I'm... Not sure." He told the older princess. He did know, though. It was Latin for liar. He thought it seemed fitting, since he was currently duping an entire school full of people. The children were chattering away, asking him a million uncomfortable questions about his fake kingdom and how he liked the school so far. Suddenly, Cedric spotted a ball flying through the air right towards Sofia's head. Without thinking, he quickly pulled out his wand.

" **Objectus Descendo!** " He shouted, and the ball dropped straight down on to the ground. The twins and some other children who had been close by and seen him cast the spell all started clamoring at once. Sofia didn't speak. Cedric turned towards the princess to see a look of sheer terror materialize on her face. He followed her eyes back to an approaching group of girls about the same age as he appeared to be, girls he faintly recognized from his class.

"Wow, I'm super sorry, Sofia! It's so lucky that Dax stopped that ball." Princess Umbra said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah, lucky!" One of the other girls chimed in.

"Hey, isn't that my ball?" James asked, walking over to inspect the ball that had been on a collision course for Sofia moments ago.

"Is it? I found it next to the school a few weeks ago." Umbra told him flippantly. Cedric noted that her stare never left Sofia.

"You can have it back." She waved dismissively, and the group walked off. Cedric was about to ask Sofia if she was okay, when Amber interrupted.

"Oh my gosh, Sofia! They actually talked to you! I can't believe it! Those girls are _so_ cool!" Amber rambled, looking after the older girls with stars in her eyes. It was clear that she idolized the older princesses.

Sofia looked down at her feet and shuffled them sadly. Cedric, acting on pure impulse, grabbed her hand and led her away, her face turning from sadness to shock. She didn't fight him, though, and they ran away together. Cedric ran even though he had no idea where he was going, and he didn't stop until he was completely out of breath. He didn't even know why he was running, he just knew he couldn't stand to watch her there in that awful place, with that broken look plastered across her features.

They finally stopped, panting, and plopped down onto the ground. Cedric realized he was still holding Sofia's warm hand and dropped it as quickly as he could, stunned at his own actions.

"I... I'm sorry. I just..." Cedric tried to think of a good excuse. Sofia shook her head at him.

"Don't apologize. You're my hero!" She said, a hint of a real smile playing across her face. _Anything to make her smile._ Cedric thought, and then he shooed the thought away. He was just here so he wouldn't have to keep casting that awful spell every six hours forever! He didn't honestly care what happened to Sofia!

"It was nothing!" He muttered to the princess, picking absentmindedly at a blade of grass.

"No, it was ah-mazing! The way you saved me from the ball, and then whisked me away! You're so cool!" He saw the first real smile he'd seen from her since she left the tower that morning. Then, without warning, she leaned over and gave him a big kiss on his cheek.

"What did you do that for?" He asked in surprise. Sofia giggled.

"Don't heroes usually get a kiss as a reward?" She looked at him in a way that made him a bit uneasy, although he couldn't quite put his finger on why. _Well, at least she's happy now._ Cedric told himself. They rested in the grass quietly for a little while, catching the rest of their breath and watching the clouds. Cedric hated to admit it, but it was actually quite enjoyable. The grass was cool and there was a nice breeze. Sofia rolled onto her side and propped her head up on her hand.

"How long have you been doing magic?" She asked him the question she'd been dying to ever since things calmed down. He figured she'd want to know all about it, since Sofia adored magic. Cedric thought about his answer carefully. He couldn't very well tell her how many YEARS he had been doing magic, but he didn't really fancy lying any more than he had to.

"Since I was four." He finally answered, avoiding her intense gaze. Sofia smiled and giggled.

"I knew you could do magic before you even cast that spell. Do you want to know how?" Cedric's curiosity engaged, he nodded at the princess.

"It's your white hair. My royal sorcerer has white hair just like yours, and he told me it happened when he messed up a spell as a child." As she explained, she gingerly reached out a hand to touch Cedric's bangs. Cedric caught her hand and moved it away from him, while subconsciously backing his head away a bit.

"Oh, I'm sorry. If you're sensitive about it, I won't bring it up again. I think it looks rather charming, though." There was that vague uneasy feeling again. Sofia dropped her hand back down, and rolled onto her back to watch the clouds some more, breaking the silence every now and then to point out an interestingly shaped puff of white. Cedric pretended to watch, too, but he was mostly studying her face to make sure it kept that carefree expression on it. The two of them eventually drifted off, basking in the warm sun.

* * *

"So-FIA!" A loud voice broke through Cedric and Sofia's afternoon nap in the grass. Cedric tried to open his eyes but decided it was much too bright.

"Honestly, Sofia, I am _shocked_ at you. You've been acting strangely for weeks. Now you disappear with a boy you barely met, and when I finally track you down, I find _this_?" _That's Amber._ Cedric told himself, annoyed. He'd know that disdainful voice anywhere. He opened his eyelid just a crack, and a quick peek through confirmed it. He opened his eyes a bit more just in time to see her pull Sofia up onto her feet.

"And you, you should get up too. You're both going to be late to class, and now I'm going to be late because I came looking for you!" She huffed off ahead of them, Sofia running after her, and Cedric lazily strolling behind them. He wasn't in much of a hurry to get to... what was it again? _Dance class._ He remembered sourly.

Sofia turned and waved goodbye to him at the door, and then the princesses disappeared.

He watched the group of girls from the yard stand in a circle giggling and gossiping throughout his next class. They kept shooting looks in his direction, and he wondered what they were on about. About halfway through class, Umbra approached him. _She seems to be their leader._ Cedric mused to himself. _Like a pack of animals._ She struck up a conversation and he tried his best to be courteous but also end their interaction as swiftly as possible.

"So, where did you say you were from again?" She asked him, leaning close to him as she talked. He drew back, annoyed at the intrusion on his personal space. He pulled out the magic papers and attempted to hand them to her.

"I didn't." He said, shortly. She waved the papers away, but when they brushed her hand, it was enough to make the enchantment take hold.

"Why is your hair like that?" She continued, still far too close for Cedric's liking. She reached out to play with his bangs, and he swatted her hand away, getting very annoyed with her.

"It just is." He snapped. The girl finally took the hint.

"Hmph! Rude." She complained, turning and flipping her long blonde hair behind her as she went back to her friends.

"He's SO cute!" He overheard one of her friends say much too loudly when she reached them.

Then they all broke out in giggles and squeals, and his eyes went wide with surprise. No one had ever said such things about him, and he hadn't even been aware that girls that age thought about boys like that. He made it a point to avoid conversation for the rest of the school day. It felt like time moved in slow motion as he was forced to sit through class after class. When they were finally dismissed for the day, he gathered his things and rushed out as quickly as possible.

Outside, Sofia was standing near the door, seemingly waiting for him. He walked her to her carriage slowly as she told him everything she had learned in her magic lessons that day. As he listened he decided that, much like the palace, she was the only one he could actually stand in school, too.

When they finally got to her carriage, Cedric offered Sofia his hand and helped her in, figuring it would be the princely thing to do. Amber and James looked at the two of them impatiently, having been waiting in the coach for what felt like ages to them. After she left with her brother and sister, he found a spot to hide and teleported back to his tower. He had just finished the spell to make him an adult again and slipped into his robes when there was a knock at his door.

"Mr Cee-drick!" Sofia's voice chimed out. He kicked his Dax costume under the bed just as the door opened.

"It's _Cedric_. And wait for me to answer the door." He said, pretending to be annoyed with her. Sofia was too happy to notice. He put the tea on while she set up a game for them to play together.

Sofia was bubbling over with excitement, and talked his ear off while they drank their tea and waited for the glamor spell to wear off. Most of it Cedric had already lived heard as Dax. It was nice to see her in such a genuinely good mood for the first time in weeks, though, so Cedric listened to everything for the second time that day, paying as much attention as he would if he'd never heard it before. As they took their turns in the game, the conversation turned to Dax.

"Oh, Mr Ceedric, I met a really intriguing boy today. He was smart, kind, and heroic. And very handsome! And he can do magic! He reminded me a lot of you." Cedric stared at her in shock.

People generally didn't use any of those words to describe him. In fact, they wouldn't even use those words in the same sentence as his name. Unless, of course, it was to point out how he wasn't any of those things.

"Checkmate, Mr Ceedric." Sofia informed him, oblivious to his surprise at her words.

"What was that?" The sorcerer asked her, his mind very far from the game.

"I believe I have a Checkmate." She answered, gesturing toward the board full of exquisitely carved wooden figures. Cedric looked down and examined the pieces.

"Yes... So you do." He answered. Just then, he felt the click as the last bit of magic wore off of Sofia. He took his wand from the table and stood up.

"It's time, Princess." Sofia stood, too, and he looked her over before casting the spell.

"No new marks?" He pried after he was finished. Sofia shook her head happily and spun around.

"I was hardly... clumsy at all today. And I was just starting to tell you, the new boy, Dax, he saved me. A ball was headed right for my face, and he cast a spell that made it fall out of the air. It was _ah-mazing_!" She chimed happily. "And then, he took my hand and ran off with me, just like a hero in a story book. It was incredible, Mr Ceedric. I've never had anything like that happen in my whole life!" The uneasy feeling returned to Cedric's stomach, and he decided he better have a bit more tea. He sat down and poured them both another cup.

While they drank, Sofia told Cedric how she and Dax had laid in the grass and watched clouds until she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, and about Dax's white hair. When the tea was gone, Cedric sent Sofia down to have her dinner.

As he sat in his tower alone, first he felt proud for having saved Sofia. Especially after the way she went on about it to the sorcerer later. But then it dawned on him that he'd merely only prevented one incident, and he still wasn't any closer to having actually solved the problem. He still didn't even really know what the problem was, but he'd bet his magic on it that those annoying girls in Dax's class were involved.

He frowned as he realized he was going to have to be Dax again the next day.


	3. Butterflies

Bright and early the next morning, Sofia rushed into Cedric's tower excitedly and found the sorcerer sleeping deeply as usual.

"Mr Cee-dric, wake up!" She shook him awake so urgently that at first he was afraid that there was something wrong with the girl.

"Sofia, are you alright?" He asked, trying to mask the concern in his voice. As the sleep cleared from his eyes, he realized that she was grinning from ear to ear, her cheeks flushed from running all the way to his tower. He studied her carefully. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail like she'd worn on Wassalia, and she was wearing one of her best dresses.

Cedric tried to remember if there was a special occasion he'd forgotten about. _I suppose the king_ _will be expecting me to do_ _some cheap parlor trick to amuse everybody._ He begrudgingly commented to himself.

He sat up in his bed and stretched his arms above his head. Ever since the first day Sofia had come to him needing help with those bruises, and he realized she'd be coming in every morning for a while, he had made it a point to be dressed for bed. He much preferred his usual method of sleeping, but was stuck doing this for the foreseeable future. _Another reason to hurry up and fix her problem._ Cedric reminded himself. Sofia's words brought the still sleepy sorcerer back to the present.

"Nothing's wrong, Mr Ceedric, but I'm in a bit of a hurry this morning. I-" Sofia's voice trailed off. She usually told Cedric everything, whether he wanted to hear it or not, but she felt a bit silly to say she was in a rush to go see the new boy at school. She paused and looked down at her feet, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Then, she steeled herself and finished her sentence.

"I just can't wait to go to school today! I woke up early and took my breakfast in my room so I could leave right after you do the spell." She gushed, beaming brightly at her friend. _Oh, yes. The spell._ Cedric remembered, standing and running his hand through his bangs. He missed the meaning in her words completely, but he was glad to see the little princess excited for school again. _Even if she is annoyingly cheerful for this early in the morning._ He made his way across the room and started to prepare some tea.

"Oh, none for me, please. I need to be going." Cedric paused, his hands still poised for the task at hand. _She's not staying for tea?_ He asked himself _. She always stays for tea and a chat._ He turned to give her a stunned look, but her attention was clearly elsewhere. He shrugged and tried to convince himself that he'd prefer to be left alone for a while, anyways.

Cedric lifted his wand from his desk and cast the all too familiar glamor spell to hide away the few faded bruises that the girl still had left. The instant the glow dissipated, Sofia was off. She stopped at his door to give a smile and a wave.

"Goodbye, Mr Ceedric!" She chirped happily, before she disappeared from view. Cedric walked over to close his door behind her, then turned and studied his empty workshop. It was silent, an absolute rarity these days.

"I like it much better this way." He stated firmly, his voice breaking through the stillness. Wormwood gave him a knowing look and answered with a caw.

"Oh, do be quiet, Wormy! Can't you see I'm busy?" He snipped at the bird and shooed him out the window.

He had his own tea and tried to relax _. It's not like I actually enjoy her visits, especially not in the wee_ _hours of the morning. I've just... gotten used to them_. He gave a nod, determined to believe what he was telling himself. He sipped his tea in silence before getting up to preform his spell and dress for the school day.

Cedric transported to the secluded spot in the school yard, and headed for the front of the building, expecting another dull morning. He looked up at the school to see a very excited young princess peering through the crowd of oncoming children, a look of concentration on her face. Their eyes met and she bounded towards him.

"Good morning, Dax!" She greeted him chipperly, practically bouncing as they began to walk towards the school together.

 _What the devil has gotten into this girl? I thought she was in a hurry to get to school today. Why is she standing around outsi-_ Cedric stopped walking and gaped at Sofia, realization finally dawning on him. His thoughts became muddled, his world suddenly spinning. _Was she...? All this? For me?_ He shook his head. No way, it was just a coincidence. He had done his time in school before, and he clearly remembered that no girl had ever dolled herself up and rushed to school to wait for him before. Sofia's face began to show concern.

"Are you alright, Dax?" She asked him gently, peering closely into his face. Too close. He backed away without thinking.

"My... My stomach hurts." Cedric muttered.

It wasn't a lie, exactly. He had the strangest feeling in the pit of his stomach, and his thoughts were still moving a mile a minute. He vaguely heard Sofia asking if he'd like her to take him to the infirmary, and he shook his head before running into the school building, leaving her standing in the yard to pout. He ran straight for the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror, panting.

 _It couldn't possibly have anything to do with me. There must just be some special event in school today that I haven't heard about. They probably announced it while I wasn't paying attention yesterday. Besides, that girl is overly friendly with everyone._ Once he talked himself back into complete denial, he calmed down. After splashing some cold water on his face, he checked his reflection one more time, and walked the now empty cooridor to his first class.

* * *

Sofia stood in front of the school feeling very disappointed. She spent all morning getting ready to see Dax, and it hadn't gone at all how she planned. She couldn't help but feel a little hurt by the way he had run off on her. _That's not nice, he doesn't feel good!_ She scolded herself. _I hope he's alright._ Sofia sighed and walked into the school building, not paying much attention as she made her way down the empty halls. She'd stood there thinking for so long that now she was late to class. Turning a corner, a sudden impact broke her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, why don't you watch where you're going?" A familiar voice snapped at her. At her feet she saw her new friend picking up a book and some scattered papers off the floor. The scene reminded her of home, and she couldn't help but giggle thinking about how often her and Mr Cedric had done this exact same thing. The giggle caught the boys attention, and he glanced up at Sofia. When he saw who he had run into, Cedric's face changed from annoyance to surprise.

"Sofia.. I... I'm sorry. I was just... thinking." He muttered the last word lamely, looking down.

"So was I. Are you feeling better?" She asked bending down to help him gather up his things. They both reached for his wand at the same time, and their fingers touching as they grasped it. A beam of light shot out of the wand, and transformed the door of a nearby classroom into a swarm of light and dark purple butterflies that fluttered about the hallway. Now they both wore a shocked expression on their faces, eyes wide, mouths gaping. Cedric grabbed the wand from Sofia and took a few steps backwards.

"I... I didn't say anything." Cedric said, trying to puzzle out what had just happened. He looked to Sofia in confusion. She simply shook her head.

"Neither did I. I have no idea how that happened." They could hear other voices in the hall now. The first one that really registered was Miss Merryweather's.

"Sofia! Mendax! What do you two think you are doing?" They both turned to see the stern faced headmistress, and began to stammer out explanations.

"We bumped into each other..." Sofia started.

"I was running late... and my wand." Cedric tried.

"In my office, now." Came the fairy's demand. With heads hung low, the two followed after Miss Merryweather, passing the children who had spilled out into the halls to see the commotion. They could hear the teachers trying to call their classes back to order. Every so often, a purple butterfly fluttered past.

When they arrived at the office, Miss Merryweather motioned for them to sit down, closing the door behind them.

"I'm really sorry Miss Merryweather. We weren't trying to do anything wrong, I promise." Sofia was the first to speak.

"We ran into each other in the hall, and I dropped all my things. When Sofia helped me pick up my wand, it just... went off." Cedric tried to explain a situation he didn't even understand himself. Miss Merryweather eyed them suspiciously.

"Wands do not just cast spells by themselves." She stated firmly.

"But it did. Honestly it did. Neither of us cast a spell." Sofia tried to reason with the headmistress. Miss Merryweather wasn't sure if she should believe the children. She'd never heard of such a thing before, but they looked so sincere and contrite. She softened a tiny bit, and turned to Cedric.

"Can you repair the door?" She inquired. He nodded that he could.

"Then I suggest you do it. Sofia, you go straight to class. No more dawdling in the halls, either of you. I will have to think about what to do with the two of you after that." She dismissed them, Cedric to fix the door, and Sofia to return to class.

Cedric stood in front of the empty doorway, frowning. He'd been here before as a substitute, and he knew for a fact that the fairies could fix the door just fine. He wondered why she had asked him to do it. Soon, Miss Merryweather was standing by his side.

"Sofia is an excellent student. She has also shown quite a talent for magic. You clearly have a gift for it, yourself. But I will not have the two of you disrupting my school, do you understand me?" He nodded, holding his wand out towards the doorway.

" **Porto Existo**." He incanted, and the door appeared back where it should be. Miss Merryweather sighed, examining the boy and trying to decide what to do with him. Suddenly, children began to file into the halls, on their way to the next class. When he turned to look at the fairy, she was smiling at him, having finally come up with something.

"Follow me." She commanded, and he did. Soon, they were at the magic classroom. Miss Merryweather left him in the doorway and floated over to Miss Fauna. The fairies talked briefly in voices too low for Cedric to make out.

"Oh, goody!" Miss Fauna clasped her hands together excitedly. Miss Merryweather flew out of the classroom past Cedric without even a glance in his direction, and Miss Fauna motioned for him to enter.

"I'm so excited that you volunteered, Prince Mendax. I heard about what happened on the playground yesterday, and the incident today, and was hoping you might. Why didn't you say anything when I made the announcement in class, yesterday?" The fairy chatted away excitedly, and Cedric blinked at her in confusion. _Announcement? Volunteered_? His mind raced, trying to piece together what was happening.

"Oh, silly me. It can be hard being the new kid. No wonder you waited to do it privately." He was beyond confused now. It felt like the fairy was speaking a different language.

"What... exactly am I expected to do?" He asked cautiously. Fauna was quiet for a moment as she regarded him, then she continued.

"Well, as I explained yesterday, we need an older, more experienced student to help out with some of the younger classes. Over the next week we'll be working on some spells that are more advanced then they're used to and I need someone who can help me give special attention to anyone who might be struggling." Cedric felt relieved. He could certainly do that. Even though he really hadn't done anything wrong, at least on purpose, he felt he was getting off easy.

"Here comes our first class, now." Miss Fauna informed Cedric.

He turned his head to see the students entering the room and taking their seats. He recognized most of them: Princess Hildegard, Prince Hugo, Princess Amber and Prince James... _This is Sofia's class._ It dawned on him. She was the last one through the door, shuffling in with her head down and claiming a seat next to Amber in the front row. Amber nudged Sofia with her elbow and whispered something to her sister. When she lifted her head, she saw Dax standing in front of the teacher's desk and shot him a curious look. He simply shrugged at her. The teacher gave a run down of the spells the children would be expected to learn during the rest of the week. Then she nudged Cedric forward a bit.

"Prince Mendax has graciously agreed to help you learn these spells. He'll be on hand all week to make sure everyone is comfortable with the material." Not sure what else to do, Cedric gave a stiff wave. The teacher turned back to the children and clasped her hands happily.

"Let's begin." She stated. As she spoke, broken items appeared on the students' desks.

"We'll start with an easy fixing spell. You simply hold your wand like so and say **Fixitus Uptis**." She demonstrated the motion, then asked Cedric to use the spell to assemble the pieces she had on her desk.

Cedric preformed the spell easily, and the class oohed and ahhed as the fragile vase perfectly reformed in front of their eyes. Cedric gave a slight smile, he always enjoyed hearing his magic be appreciated. He glanced at Sofia's seat to see the young princess beaming at him, and watched as she easily and flawlessly copied the spell, repairing a lovely porcelain doll. _Atagirl!_ He thought _. That's my apprentice. He_ scanned the rest of the class to see if there were any students in need of help, but was surprised to see that Sofia was the only one to successfully fix her item. He sighed, accepting that this was going to be more work than he thought. Princess Amber began to wave her hand frantically in the air.

"Prince Dax, Prince Dax!" She called him. _She hasn't even picked up her wand, yet._ Cedric noted. _How could she possibly need help already?_ He approached her and she batted her eyelashes at him, waving him closer. He obliged as much as he felt comfortable with. "I can't remember the hand position for this spell. Can you show me?" She asked innocently. He reached for his wand to demonstrate but she shook her head. "Can you show me... on my wand?" She asked, a devious smile crossing her face.

Cedric frowned, but helped the princess position her arm correctly before letting go. She tried to cast the spell, but her object crumbled into twice as many pieces as it had originally come in. He realized that this was going to be far more difficult than teaching Sofia a new spell, which usually went surprisingly well. He repositioned Amber's arms with as much patience as he could muster.

"Just... try it again." He told her. This time, the item wasn't repaired, but it was restored to its original amount of pieces, and Cedric felt this was at least progress. She looked up at him and he nodded at her to proceed. After a few more tries, a beautiful jewel encrusted blue telescope appeared on her desk.

"I did it!" She flashed him her prettiest smile, but he was already moving on to the next student. He heard Amber and Hildegard explode into a fit of girlish giggles behind his back, but he ignored it.

"Good work." Cedric bent down and whispered as he passed Sofia's desk. She grinned at him and then returned to her assignment. He walked over to Princess Vivian and attempted to help her fix her object, but she muttered something, flushed bright red, and turned away from him. Picking up on the strong hint, he moved on.

Once all of the children had successfully cast their spells, they were given time to review things they had learned in the past. Miss Fauna flew close to Cedric.

"Our Princess Sofia is particularly adept at magic for her age. Maybe you could use this time to work one on one with her." She prodded.

Cedric nodded stiffly and returned to Sofia's desk. When Amber realized he was not, in fact, approaching her, she let out an audible "Hmph!", and turned to whisper something to Hildegard. Behind him, he heard Miss Fauna remind the girls that this was not free time.

"Sofia, Miss Fauna asked that I work on some newer spells with you. Anything special you'd like to try?" He asked her quietly. She blushed at his words, and then seemed to think seriously about what she would like to learn.

"My first day at the castle, our Royal Sorcerer did a spell that made flowers fall from the sky. It was the most ah-mazing thing I've ever seen! Could you teach me that one? I'd love to surprise him with it." Cedric was taken aback by her words. He couldn't believe such a simple spell made such a big impression on the girl. Especially since he lost his nerve with King Roland there and messed it up, conjuring ominous dark clouds instead.

"I know that one." He admitted to her. He demonstrated the arm position and told her the words she needed to cast the spell.

" **Mohit Flora.** " She said, aiming the wand at the ceiling. A lone purple flower floated down from the top of the room and landed on her desk. Sofia pursed her lips in a pout, but Cedric was impressed. The spell was simple, but far above the level the rest of the class was studying. He hadn't expected anything to actually come of her attempt.

"Do it again. It was a good first try." She waved the wand and repeated the spell. This time a handful of flowers landed on the two of them. Sofia let out a whimper.

"Oh, it's not good enough! I want it to be really spectacular when I show him. Can we try it again?" Cedric was touched. He nodded at her, and she raised the wand again.

"Wait, you're holding it slightly askew." He put his hand over hers to position the wand just right, and she cast the spell again.

" **Mohit Flora!** " She declared, and the class filled with flowers descending from the ceiling. Miss Fauna turned to look at the two of them just as a shocked Cedric released Sofia's hand. She raised an eyebrow at the pair, then turned back to call the other children back to attention. The spell had disrupted the entire class, and the children were all chattering excitedly.

"I did it! Oh, Dax it really worked!" She jumped up from her desk and threw her arms around him. Without even thinking he hugged her back.

"I'm so proud of you, Sofia. That was incredible." He congratulated her with a stunned chuckle.

* * *

Before class let out, Miss Fauna called Dax and Sophia over to her desk and informed them that they would be expected to clean up all of the flowers during their outside time. Cedric was relieved, it wouldn't be any problem keeping her safe for the day with just the two of them there, and maybe he could even convince her to give Dax the details of what was going on.

Miss Fauna held the next morning class outside, since her classroom was still filled with flowers, and Cedric found he much preferred it to being couped up in the school all morning. The class went well but was uneventful. He did what he was expected to until everyone else was sent off to join the other classes, and then he headed back into the magic classroom to meet Sofia. When he walked in, she greeted him shyly.

"I'm sorry I got you in trouble. Twice." She apologized, picking at an imaginary spot on her skirt.

"I'm not." He confided. She tilted her head to the side and gave him a curious glance, so he explained.

"The first time we got in trouble, I was allowed to spend the whole week in sorcery classes, instead of all those rubbish courses they have me taking. This time, I get to be in here with you instead of outside with all those awful girls. You should get me in trouble more often." Cedric could tell by her face that the words had taken on a different meaning than they had in his head. She looked a bit hurt, and he frowned at himself. He tried to think of the right thing to say so she would understand how he had really meant it. "I mean, of course, you're a girl, Sofia. I... I have eyes." He said, surprising even himself with his words. He sighed and pinched at the bridge of his nose. This wasn't going at all like he had planned. It was like his mouth had a mind of it's own.

"It's just that... The other girls, Amber, Hildegard, Umbra..." He paused, Sofia's face plainly showed that he had struck a chord with the last name, and he instantly regretted it. "All of them are always giggling and whispering when I'm around. I don't know what to make of it." Sofia broke out in laughter, leaving Cedric very confused. When she finally calmed down, she looked him over carefully. He was sitting completely still and frowning at her.

"You don't know, do you?" The princess asked him slyly, still very amused. He shook his head. He had no idea what she thought was so funny. Sofia leaned in like she was going to impart a deep secret to him. "You're very popular with the girls here." She informed Cedric quietly. His mouth gaped and he stared at Sofia like she'd gone mad.

"It's true! I bet my sister is outside planning her marriage to you right now!" She declared. Cedric made a face, and this time they both laughed. There was a lull in the conversation. Cedric was the one to break it.

"The point is, Sofia, there's nowhere in the entire school that I'd rather be than right here, picking up hundreds of flowers with you " He meant it very sincerely. Every word of it. It was completely uncharacteristic of him to speak to people like this, and he wasn't sure just what prompted him to do so, but it was all true. He pointedly ignored the way the young princess blushed at his words.

They went back to picking up flowers in silence for a bit before Cedric had an idea. The room was filled with the tiny purple blossoms, and they would never finish at this rate. He knew exactly what they needed.

"Let's do a spell together." He said to Sofia, scooping up another handful. Sofia looked at him hesitantly.

"Miss Fauna said no magic, remember?" She asked him. He nodded at her.

"I remember, but this..." He gestured his hands outwards to the room around him, then stood to pull out his wand. "This is impossible. Just a small spell." He offered her his hand and helped her to her feet. She eyed him nervously and took out her own wand. He moved his arms to show her how to stand.

"Like this?" She asked, unsure.

"Almost." He encouraged her. He walked around her to inspect the way she was standing, moving her arm here, turning her wrist there. When he was satisfied, he stood next to her and cast the spell.

" **Broomio Sweepupicus!** " He called, Sofia repeating after him. Two purple brooms, one light and one dark, appeared before them and promptly began to sweep the flowers off the floor.

"Ah-mazing!" Sofia exclaimed. Cedric looked around the room, frowning at the hard desk chairs. He magically slid a few of the desks and chairs back and quickly conjured some cushions for them to sit on. Cedric motioned for her to sit down, and then plopped down in his own spot.

"This is perfect, Dax! We'll be done in no time, now!" She told him happily.

"You're really special, you know..." Cedric realized what he had just said, and watched her turn rosy pink again. "I... I mean your magic. Your magic is really special. You're very talented." He muttered, embarrassed. _What is the matter with me today?_ Cedric wondered. Sofia shook her head.

"I'm only as good as I am because I get lessons from Mr Ceedric. He's the best sorcerer ever." She told him with a wistful smile, completely unaware that her teacher was really the one there with her, complementing her abilities. There was another break in the conversation. Cedric stared down at his hands. He wasn't very good with words, and he was trying to think of a good way to guide the conversation.

"It's very strange for me to think that people like me here." He began slowly, trying to breech a sensitive subject with the princess.

"Why's that?" Sofia asked, surprised at his words.

"I was never very well-liked at my old school. I was treated... I wasn't treated kindly. Anyone who wasn't outright mean simply ignored me. Things didn't get any better when the day ended and I went home, either." Sofia studied his face, he had such a sad, lonely aura to him at that moment. She could hardly believe there would be anyone in the whole world who wouldn't want to be his friend.

"Why wasn't home different?" She asked him. Home was supposed to be your safety, the place you retreated into when everything else was wrong. She thought briefly of Mr Cedric's tower workshop and smiled fondly. She could almost smell the dried herbs and smoke.

"My father, mostly. He always wanted more out of me than I could give." He paused, realizing what he was saying, and cleared his throat. "As crown prince, the expectations are pretty high, of course." He added quickly, remembering that he was sitting here as Prince Dax, and not Cedric. Sofia nodded and he went on.

"I never lived up to any of it, no matter how hard I tried. No one else at the palace thought much of me, either. I could always hear them talking about me behind my back. It made me feel so... So..." He threw his hands up in defeat, unable to find the words he was searching for. He never was much for talking about his feelings. Sofia reached out, placed her hand over his, and gave him a reassuring smile.

"I know what you mean." She promised him quietly. He looked down at their joined hands. When he didn't say anything, she continued. "I wasn't always a princess, you know. I used to live in a one-bedroom cottage in the village with my mom. Some of the older girls here..." She trailed off, a mix of sadness and fear playing across their face. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Well, they don't think I should be here." She finished quickly.

Sofia badly wanted to tell Dax everything. She felt she could really trust him, especially since he said he'd been through something similar. She hadn't known him very long, but their bond seemed almost tangible. She only kept quiet because she knew what Umbra had promised to do to her if she told anyone. She looked away, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. As if his body was moving of it's own accord, Cedric reached out and placed his hand under her chin, gently guiding her face back in his direction and wiped a tear off of her cheek with his thumb.

"It's okay, I get it. You don't need to say any more." He reassured the princess.

Cedric was slightly frustrated that he still didn't know everything, but he certainly had enough to work with, and he wasn't going to push her further when she was already upset. She had let him in, and that was enough for now. Sofia nodded at him, sniffling. Before he could react, she threw herself at him, sobbing into his dark purple dress shirt. He hesitated a moment, arms held stifly in the air, then stroked her back and let her get it all out.

The room was silent except for Sofia's muffled crying and the soft swish of the brooms as they swept the flowers across the floor. Neither of them noticed Miss Fauna standing in the doorway, observing the children thoughtfully.

* * *

Sofia rushed home after school, eager to show her favorite sorcerer the new spell she'd learned in class that morning. She ran all the way up the tower stairs, and burst into the workshop without even pausing to knock. Cedric had not finished dressing yet, having only arrived minutes ago himself. He quickly pulled his shirt the rest of the way down before scolding her.

"Merlin's Mushrooms, child! What are you thinking barging in here like that?" He demanded, reaching for his robe. _At least I had my pants on._ He thought with a frown. Sofia grabbed him by the hands, doing her best to drag him to the door.

"Sofia, what's gotten into you? What are you doing?" He asked, honestly bewildered. He completely forgot that while Dax would address the princess by first name only, Cedric would not.

"It's a surprise, follow me! Please, Mr Ceedric." She told him, brimming over with excitement. At the mention of surprises, he remembered what she had said to Dax about the spell that morning and resigned himself to being dragged outside. She pulled him all the way out to the garden entrance, refusing to let go of him despite his attempts to shake the excited girl off.

"Now stand right there and watch this!" She commanded him proudly. She produced her wand from the hidden pocket in her large lilac skirt, held it exactly as she had in class that morning, and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

" **Mohit Flora.** " She recited. Roughly 50 small purple flowers fell from the sky above them. They both stood in shock, unsure of what had gone wrong. She had filled an entire room with hundreds of blossoms just a few hours ago. "No. That's not right." She muttered to herself. She planted her feet firmly, held her arm out, and tried again.

" **Mohit Flora!** " She repeated. The result was the same. She looked to Cedric, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what she was doing differently. She tried the spell over and over again before she collapsed to the ground, distraught. Cedric quickly closed the gap between them, afraid the amount of magic she'd done today may have been too much for the girl.

"Are you alright, Sofia?" He asked, kneeling down to inspect her. She sniffled and gave her mentor a nod.

"I don't understand it. I did it this morning!" She frowned up at him. He patted her on the head, wanting nothing more than to tell her he'd seen it. He couldn't, though. He still needed Dax to protect her. He tried to figure out why the spell hadn't worked this time.

"Maybe you're just tired. If you did the spell earlier, you may just need to give your magic a rest for a while." He spoke softly, trying his best to soothe the little princess. Sofia stood, and clung to the sorcerer's waist.

"I wanted to do it perfectly when I showed you. It's just not fair. I really did do it earlier, I swear!" He sighed. Keeping this secret was going to be the death of him.

"It doesn't have to be perfect. This is quite impressive for your age. Just remember the sorcerer's secret." He reminded her. Sofia turned to face away from him, and he placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her. She took several deep breaths to collect herself.

" **Mohit Flora!** " She tried again. The sky filled with thousands of flowers, all floating downwards to land at their feet.

The king and queen had been having tea just a little farther into the garden, and saw the flowers start to fall. They rushed out to see what was going on. Cedric quickly removed his hands from the princess and stepped back, suddenly very aware of how close he had been to the girl. Her parents were too surprised to notice. First, they looked at Cedric, but he wasn't even holding his wand. Confused, they turned their gaze to their youngest daughter, still standing with her wand raised to the sky.

"Sofia?" Miranda asked in disbelief.

"Did you cast that spell?" King Roland finished the question. Sofia turned to look at Cedric, basking in the sheer approval and pride that was written all over his face.

"It's the spell Mr Ceedric cast the day we came to the palace." She reminded her parents. The king and queen exchanged warm glances and joined hands.

"It sure is." Miranda stated fondly.

"We were... We took our lessons outside, today." Cedric informed the royal couple. They nodded in approval.

"Fantastic job, Sofia. You're really excelling at magic." King Roland considered taking a jab at Cedric by pointing out that maybe Sofia could replace him and be a more competent royal sorcerer, but for once, he actually thought better of it. This was a big moment for Sofia, and he knew insulting his daughter's teacher would upset her. Now was clearly not the time. Instead, he laid a hand on the sorcerer's shoulder.

"Keep up the good work, Cedric." He told the man quietly. Cedric positively beamed with excitement.

"Y-yes, Your Ma...majesty." He stammered out, scarcely able to believe the events that just occurred. Sofia's parents retreated back to their tea party, chatting happily as they went.

Cedric stood staring at the flowers littering the entrance to the garden. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the first two times Sofia called him.

"Mr Cee-dric!" Sofia tried for a third time, shaking him out of his daze. Losing himself in the thrill of the moment, Cedric scooped the small girl up in his arms and spun her around several times.

"Sofia, you're brilliant!" He shouted. She giggled as they whirled around, and hugged his shoulders.

"I have a great teacher." She told him, enjoying this temporary breach in his grouchy exterior.

He set her back down on her feet, looking her over. What had he been thinking? He cleared his throat, and straightened his robe.

"Come along. You need a spell, and we need some tea." He reminded her, turning to return to the tower. Sofia followed along, humming happily as they went.

"And knock off that blasted noise." He scolded her. She stuck her tongue out at his back and laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** This story hit 1,000 viewers, so here's a bonus chapter to celebrate! This chapter was a lot of fun to write. I really enjoyed thinking about how a younger Cedric might behave if he was given some confidence and found himself in a place where he was appreciated.

* * *

The next morning, Sofia dressed up and arrived to school early again, hoping things would go better this time. Cedric had been back to his usual self ever since they left the garden, but she could still remember the way the way he looked at her when she had succeeded in casting the flower spell, and she was in very high spirits today. She couldn't wait to tell Dax all about it. She watched the crowd until she could see him coming up the walk, then smoothed her dress and ran out to meet him.

"Good morning, Sofia." He greeted her cheerfully, clearly feeling better than he had the morning before. She smiled and returned the sentiment. They approached the doors and stood off to the side of the entrance to talk.

"I did the spell yesterday! Mr Ceedric was there, and my parents even saw it. Everyone was so happy. It was like a dream, Dax!" She spun around, remembering how Cedric had picked her up and made the same motion. The connection wasn't lost on the sorcerer, who had been mentally kicking himself for the impropriety of the moment ever since it happened. He stiffened a bit, but reminded himself to relax before she had a chance to notice.

"I'm glad it went so well, Sofia. It sounds like you got exactly what you wanted." She nodded at him, still grinning.

"Uh-huh. Mr Ceedric called me brilliant! Can you believe that? Me, brilliant!" She was practically giddy, and Cedric wondered at how his words, words he hadn't even meant to say out loud, had such an impact on the girl.

The crowd of children who were making their way inside thinned, and Cedric remembered that he needed to be in the magic classroom for his "volunteer" duties.

"I've gotta go or Miss Fauna will turn me into a toad." He joked to the princess. She laughed, picturing Dax's head on a frog body, and they went in. Cedric walked Sofia to the door of her first class, and Sofia thought he was such a gentleman _. He acts so grown up,_ she commented to herself with a smile. _Like a little adult._

In class, Amber teased her good naturedly, having seen Dax escort her, and noticing the spacey look on her sister's face.

"I just needed to talk to him about something." She explained, trying to wave it off. Amber rolled her eyes. _Nice try, Sofia_ , the older princess thought. _I see the way you two have been acting._ Hildegard passed Amber a note, and Sofia was glad for the reprieve.

The teacher entered the room and went right to the lessons. Sofia made it a point to pay attention, despite Amber staring at her through the whole class, and trying to pump her for information every time the teacher wasn't looking.

Sofia's grades had really suffered when she'd been busy worrying about Umbra, and she was determined to get back on track. The fact that nothing had really been solved with Umbra tried to derail her train of thought, but she pushed it away. Things were going great right now, and she was going to focus on that.

Cedric had hurried enough to get to Miss Fauna's classroom before the first group began to filter in.

"Good morning, Mendax. How are you today?" She asked without looking up, assembling some branches and vines into circles on her desk.

"I'm pretty good. How are you Miss Fauna?" He asked her, she gestured to the loose vines on her desk, and he took the hint and picked some up, observing the fairy and copying what she did.

"Just make one more. That will be plenty for the morning." She informed him. She studied the young boy's face for a moment, he was now engrossed in his wreath-making. _He's doing a fine job of it._ She noted. _I'm so glad he volunteered._ The first few students entered and made their way to the desks at the back, chatting as they went.

"How is our Princess Sofia today?" She asked the sorcerer.

"She practically danced her way to class." He mused out loud. Miss Fauna watched his pale skin turn bright red, his hands fumbling with the wreath he was crafting as he realized the teacher had tricked him into admitting that he'd escorted Sofia before coming instead of helping to make the pile of wreaths in front of him. She shook her head almost imperceptibly, giving a tiny, good-natured chuckle at her student's reaction. She decided to move on from that topic for now.

"For the sake of my classroom, let's keep our magic usage limited to the lesson plan today, agreed? Butterflies and flowers are lovely... on these wreaths or outside, where they belong." She informed him as he finished up his wreath and placed it on the table with the others. _You told me to work with her._ He mentally retorted to the fairy. _Sofia wanted flowers, so I helped her make flowers._

When the class ended, Sofia was the first one out, and made a beeline for Sorcery class. She hurried in and took her seat. Cedric was busy going over the lesson details with Miss Fauna one last time. When he turned around, Sofia caught his eye and he smiled at her and mouthed "Hi." She returned his smile and gave a wave. Miss Fauna turned back to the wreaths, pretending she didn't see their exchange. The other children filled the desks around Sofia, and class was ready to begin.

"SINCE we all enjoyed the flowers so much yesterday, today we will all be conjuring our own." Miss Fauna announced pointedly. The class began to murmur, knowing that she was referring to the incident with Sofia and Dax the day before.

"Then, we will learn how to clean them up WITHOUT the help of enchanted brooms." Sofia and Cedric exchanged glances, knowing they had been caught. Miss Fauna nodded at Dax, and he flicked his wand at the teacher's desk, transporting the wreaths that were on it to each child's workspace. He had actually been told to pass them out, and he knew what she said about unauthorized magic in class, but something compelled him to show off a bit.

He heard the children begin to murmur to each other in approval and turned back to the class just as the teacher was getting them settled back in. She gave him a look that conveyed how very little his stunt had amused her, and he did his best to look apologetic. He ran his hand through his white bangs nervously and gave a chuckle. When Miss Fauna's back was turned to him again, he took a bow, which started all of the younger students right back up. He wasn't intending to be devious or disruptive, it just felt so good to have an audience that really seemed to enjoy watching him.

"If! I may continue..." Miss Merryweater stated gruffly, and Cedric sat down, deciding not to push his luck any further. He turned to see Sofia stifling a fit of giggles, her hands clasped firmly over her mouth. _Just one more thing, and then I'll behave._ He promised himself. He winked at Sofia, which set all the girls in the front row to whispering amongst themselves. He watched Amber nudge Sofia with her elbow.

Miss Fauna shot a glance over her shoulder at him, and he threw his hands up in mock defeat before clasping them behind his head, leaning back in his seat.

"Now, we will be working on two spells today. The first is the flower spell. You may cast it on any non-living thing in the room that you like, but do be sure to put at least some on your wreath." She demonstrated the spell for the class, and Cedric leaned forward in his chair, needing to know who had the gist and who he'd have to help. Sofia, feeling especially confident in her magic, was one of the first to try it. She held her wand out to her wreath, but then a sneaky expression crossed her face, and she turned it on Cedric's chair.

" **Decorot Florion!** " She repeated the words easily. Cedric's chair became covered in flowers, and she gave him a cheeky grin. He glanced at the teacher to make sure she wasn't still keeping an eye on him, then applauded for Sofia silently. She went back to decorating her wreath, and he set about making the rounds, offering help to anyone who didn't have the hang of the spell, yet. After every student had successfully decorated their wreath, Miss Fauna showed them the cleaning spell.

"You can start with the chair." She said, eyes firmly on Sofia.

" **Spickspanidio.** " The princess recited with a wave of her wand. The class set about casting the spell. Soon, every flower that wasn't attached to a wreath disappeared from the room, and the class was dismissed. Cedric sat back in his seat, waiting for an earful from the fairy.

"Mendax, that may have been my most successful sorcery class ever." That was not exactly the lecture he had been expecting. He shot her a confused look, so she continued.

"Thanks to you, everybody's eyes were on the front of the classroom, and I don't think a single note was passed the entire time. They were all too busy watching your antics. You really know how to capture their attention!" With that, she flew around the room excitedly, preparing for the next class to come in and get started.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Updating a day late, sorry. I've had this ready to go (along with many other chapters after it), but it was a very busy day for me yesterday, so it never got published. This is the last of the original batch of added chapters. I've written more since then, trying to ease the transition back to the original chapters. This one originally had a confrontation between Dax and Umbra, which seemed really natural, but had to be toned down so his reactions to her in later chapters wouldn't seem too mild. It was easier to save that for later than to ramp up their interactions in the finished chapters. I took Sofia's reaction to this chapter down a few notches, too.

As always, I love seeing all the comments and support, especially from some of you who keep coming back.

Edit: Just realized that this chapter is twice the length of my usual ones. Sorry if it's too long. I don't see a really obvious place to to cut it, though.

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Cedric waited for his last class of the morning to finish up, then tried to rush out of the room.

"Mendax, aren't you forgetting something?" Miss Fauna asked him. He glanced around the room, trying to figure out what it was she was expecting of him. He spotted some flowers the class hadn't gotten around to tidying up before they were dismissed, and easily waved them away. He tried to leave the room again, but the fairy tut-tutted him and pointed towards the supply cabinet. He eyed the door warily, he really needed to get to Sofia _. She's out there alone with those girls._ He thought uneasily.

He rushed his way through setting up for the first afternoon class, and bolted for the door. This time Miss Fauna let him go, shaking her head as he went. _He really can't wait to go see her, can he?_ She mused to herself.

Cedric rushed out to the school yard, but couldn't find Sofia anywhere. Feeling the beginning of panic rising in himself, he looked around, trying to find any signs of trouble. James approached him and tried to strike up a friendly conversation, but Cedric wasn't listening.

"Where's your sister?" He demanded, trying to keep his voice steady. James gave him a strange look.

"She's using the restroom. Why, what-" Cedric didn't wait for James to finish his sentence. He ran off towards the bathrooms as fast as he could.

"Mendax, no running in the halls." Professor Popov attempted to remind the boy as he dashed back into the school. He sped past, ignoring the teacher. When he came to the restroom, he held the doorway, doubled over and panting. He hadn't stopped to think this out. _I can't very well go barging into the girl's room._ He realized, distressed.

He listened for signs of trouble, his heart thudding in his ears. He couldn't hear anything except the occasional shuffling sound, so he sat down on the floor with his back against the wall. He didn't have much of a chance to rest, though, because almost instantly Umbra rounded the corner, heading straight for the bathroom. He scrambled to his feet and blocked the doorway with his body. She attempted to get around him a few times, but he was determined to keep her out.

"It's occupied." He informed Umbra evenly, his dark brown eyes narrowing and staring right through her.

"Dax, hello! I'd love to talk to you for a while, but I really need to use the washroom." She told him, distracted. He wasn't sure how to reply, so he stayed quiet. Inside the bathroom, they could hear the sink running. Cedric turned his head at the noise, and Umbra tried to dash in while he was distracted, but he stretched out his arm to block her path, too fast for the girl to get by. _She said she'd love to talk with me..._ Cedric considered, remembering what Sofia had told him about his standing with the girls of Royal prep. He made his best attempt at giving the girl what he hoped was a dashing smile.

"I really was hoping we could talk about our classes for a minute... I-I missed so much already, and I'll be helping Miss Fauna for the rest of the week. Maybe you... could fill me in a bit?" He stumbled to come up with a viable excuse for his actions without letting her know he was onto her.

"Oh? Well, I have to go just now..." Umbra hesitated, her eyes flashing rapidly from Cedric to the door behind him. _She's tempted. Maybe I could convince her to leave with me, draw her away._ Cedric thought, starting to formulate a plan to allow Sofia to escape the bathroom unscathed.

"Maybe you could come over to my palace later, and I can get you all caught up." She grinned at him, and he briefly compared her to a predatory animal in his head. He suppressed the urge to shudder at the intensity in her features.

Before he could reply, he felt a small tug at the back of his shirt. He turned his head to see Sofia doing her best to hide behind his larger figure. Without a thought, he threw a protective arm around her and they marched right past Umbra, his hand poised to draw his wand in case of trouble.

"Dax, wait! I thought you wanted to talk to me!" Umbra shouted after him as the pair disappeared down the hall.

Sofia's knees felt weak. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was completely dry. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Once they were a safe distance, she turned and pounded her small fists against Cedric's chest. Cedric stood still and waited patiently, letting the princess take all of her emotions out on him.

"Why? Why did you do that?" She demanded. Umbra would think she had told him. _If she thinks I told on her, she'll..._ Sofia couldn't stand to think about it. When she stopped hitting him, her fists still balled against his chest, Cedric pulled Sofia into an embrace. Her legs went out, her body still reacting in fear to the events that had just happened, and Cedric lowered her to the ground and sat down, holding her against his chest. He ran his fingers through her soft chestnut hair, and dropped his mouth to her ear.

"It's okay, Sofia. It's going to be okay." He whispered firmly to the younger girl. She whimpered into his chest, trying hard to hold back tears... She had so many different emotions surging through her at once. Fear of Umbra, giddiness and a slight embarrassment at the boy's nearness, relief at his soothing words.

"I'm sorry... I'm doing it again." She hiccuped as the tears won out. It occured to her that since he didn't actually know her secret, her behavior must seem really strange to him. Cedric hugged her even tighter.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't care what you do." Sofia reached her arms up and wrapped them around the boy. Her tears slowed and then stopped. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Cedric's hand alternating between rubbing her back and stroking her hair gently, until the sounds of other kids entering the building made them pull apart. Sofia blushed wildly as she came back to the reality that they were not, in fact, the only two people in the world. Cedric wondered briefly at what had possessed him to hold the princess like that, but all was forgotten when he could no longer find any trace of fear in her brilliant blue eyes.

"Come on, I'll walk you to class." Cedric told her, glancing around for any sign of Umbra and her friends. He scooted the princess off of his lap, stood up, and offered to help Sofia to her feet. She clutched his hand like a lifeline all the way to the classroom. At the door, he casually pulled Sofia into another hug, merely a guise to impart a message he didn't want overheard by the throng of students passing them.

"From now on, I'll pick you up. Don't go anywhere else until I come for you." He told her firmly. He felt her nod against him and let her go so she could get to class. He was thankful that he wouldn't have to see Umbra until the last class of the day. If it were any earlier, he might be tempted to cast her right out of existence for making Sofia cry like that.

The rest of the day flew by, Cedric lost in distraction. He did what he was supposed to do, but it was all automatic, as if his body was operating without his brain.

Umbra walked into the sorcery classroom, and he silently seethed, instinctively placing one hand on his wand, ready for trouble. She flashed him a bright smile, waving at him as she walked by and took her seat _. So that's your game?_ He thought, narrowing his deep brown eyes. If her plan was to act flirty with him until he stopped trying to thwart her, she would find him strangely immune.

Miss Fauna explained the day's assignment to the class, and he went back to doing what was expected of him. He sat in the desk closest to the door, so he could be sure that he was the first one out when they were dismissed for the day. He was just glad that in this period, he was a student instead of a volunteer. He didn't know what he would do if Umbra asked him for magical advice.

Cedric took a deep breath and willed himself to focus. This was the only class he actually enjoyed in this wretched school, whether he was going through the lesson as an assistant or a student.

His mind wandered again as he debated telling the fairies what had happened with Umbra earlier, but honestly there wasn't much to tell. By blocking the girl's room and refusing to let her in, he'd technically done more wrong than she had. She could truthfully tell them she was just trying to get in. If Dax got in trouble, he'd have to deal with the punishment until he had something more concrete to convince the fairies that Umbra was bad news. He couldn't quit coming to school until everything was fully handled.

It took everything in him to concentrate on the spells the class was working on. They should have been more than easy for him, but he had way too much on his mind. It reminded him of when he was young, and could never seem to get spells right. He remembered the things the other children would say, laughing at him as he was the only one in class to fail day in and day out. He had felt so utterly miserable and alone. _I know what it's like, Sofia. I won't let you feel that way anymore._ He promised. _You are not alone._ Minus his mother's doting and Calista's bizarre idolization of him, Sofia had been the only person who had ever truly been kind to him, and at that moment he intented to do whatever it took to free her from Umbra.

Miss Fauna watched him out of the corner of her eye. Her most promising student was struggling to do spells she knew for a fact that he was beyond capable of. She floated over to him and met his eyes.

"Mendax, where is your mind right now?" She asked him gently. Flashes of brown hair, blue eyes, and purple flowers crossed his mind.

"Sofia." He breathed quietly, before he could catch himself _. That miserable fairy coaxed it right out of me._ He brooded. She nodded thoughtfully, and he got the distinct impression that she had known the answer before he did.

"Perhaps you should pretend she's casting this spell with you, like the flowers and the butterflies." She prompted him. He took a deep breath, gathering all the concentration he could. He focused on Sofia's smiling face and relaxed, casting the spell perfectly. The fairy smiled at him. She floated back to the front of the room and clapped her hands a few times to get all of the students' attention.

"Class... Dismissed." She announced. Cedric jumped up and was the first one out, making a beeline for the classroom where he left Sofia, all the way across the school. He arrived at Sofia's class just as she was approaching the door. She started to greet him, but he motioned for her to wait, putting his hand on the doorway behind her and leaning forward to catch his breath. Sofia heated at how close he was, but he was too busy recovering to notice their position or her reaction to it.

As soon as he felt like he could move again, he took Sofia's hand, the contact becoming too familiar to him, so that it was starting to be habitual, another thing his body did without consulting his brain first, and led her out of the school. Cedric escorted Sofia to the safety of her coach. Her siblings weren't out, yet, so they had a minute to talk.

"You didn't have to go through all that trouble." She insisted. He could tell by her face that she really appreciated it, though. He cupped his hand to her cheek.

"I told you I'd meet you after class, so I did." He reminded the younger girl. A hand patted him on the back, and he instinctively reached for his wand.

"Hey, Dax. How do you like our school so far?" James asked him in a friendly tone. Cedric's wand hand relaxed, and he forced a smile.

"It's... been an adventure." He told the prince, trying to sound relaxed. James flashed him a grin.

"That's Royal Prep. Never a dull moment." The prince said, a hint of school pride in his tone. Amber climbed into the coach and settled down next to Sofia while James continued to engage Cedric in friendly conversation. Cedric found it more difficult to play this part of the friendly, popular, young prince with other people besides the princess, but he felt he managed fairly well. Soon the children were on their way home, leaving Cedric to find a nice hidden spot to transport himself.


	6. Chapter 6

Sofia sat in the tower quietly. Her untouched tea had grown cold already. Cedric frowned at the girl in concern, but she barely noticed. The sorcerer cleared his throat, trying to think of something to say.

"How was magic class, Sof-Princess?" He had realized he'd been slipping up with her name lately, and was making a point to address her properly. Not that it mattered, because her thoughts had her a million miles away.

Sofia's mind came back to the room slightly. _Magic class. I could talk about that without a problem._ She told herself.

She desperately wanted to tell her dearest friend everything that had occurred that day, but she couldn't without having to explain why she had reacted the way she did upon realizing that Umbra was trying to corner her in the bathroom. She hated keeping secrets from the sorcerer, but she couldn't see any way around it.

"It was great! Dax was being really silly. He's the teacher's assistant for the week, did I tell you that?" Sofia forced a smile. Cedric shook his head no, pretty sure that Sofia had not talked about that in the tower, yet. _If she did, it wouldn't be too strange to pretend I simply forgot, I suppose._ He reassured himself.

"Anyway, he was just doing all these things to get the class to laugh. Miss Fauna acted annoyed, but I think she really enjoys having him there." Sofia continued. Cedric sipped his tea _. You couldn't be more wrong, Sofia. Miss Fauna keeps tricking me into saying things I don't even know I'm thinking, and she's banned using my magic except for lessons._ Cedric chased the thoughts away and stayed quiet, afraid he might blurt something incriminating out. _I feel like I can't trust my own brain, lately._

"After I did the flower spell in the classroom yesterday, she had us all work on conjuring flowers today. The room was covered in them! It was so pretty, and it smelled really good, too." Now Sofia was really smiling, and Cedric felt relief wash over him at the sight of it. He lifted his teacup to his lips and began to take a drink.

"Mr Ceedric, how do you know if a boy likes you?" Sofia asked shyly. Cedric did a spit-take and dropped his tea cup, getting the liquid everywhere. _She couldn't possibly be talking about..._ He started. _No, obviously she's talking about someone else. Maybe someone from her class._ His stomach turned, and he briefly wondered which thought bothered him more. Sofia tried hard to stifle the fit of giggles that his reaction caused.

"Princess, yo-you are far too young to concern yourself with such things." He told her seriously. It was all Cedric could come up with, being put on the spot like that. Sofia fetched him some napkins from his drawer. They were stained from all the failed potions they had been used to clean up over the years, and now they would be dyed brown from tea, as well. Cedric grumbled some inaudible gibberish to himself as he sopped up the spilled liquid.

"I really like this boy, though. I haven't known him very long, but I feel like we've been friends for ages. Isn't that strange, Mr Ceedric?" Cedric suddenly wished she'd stayed unsettlingly quiet forever, or at least for the rest of the day. His head was now filled with more thoughts than he could handle. He didn't even want to entertain the thought that she might be talking about Dax, but the possibility that she was talking about someone else unnerved him in a way he didn't dare put into words.

"It's my opinion that you should focus on your studies while you're in school, and your magic while in my tower, Princess." It took everything in Cedric to keep his voice even as he admonished her. The scolded princess peered down into her teacup, her smile gone again. Cedric felt a pang of guilt, but he was not going to participate in this ridiculous conversation any longer. In fact, he very much wished the glamor spell would wear off so he could cast it again and get her out of his workshop. That expression she was making, though. _How can I ignore that face?_ He sighed to himself.

"Don't take it so hard, Princess. I'm just not good with questions like that. You know I don't... have a lot of experience with other people." He tried to explain away his reaction, and Sofia nodded softly, looking slightly less downtrodden. He stood and paced the tower floor, rubbing his face. It dawned on him that he was suddenly very tired, despite the early hour of day. He waited to feel a click he was beginning to think would never come.

Sofia picked at an invisible spot on the table. The seconds stretched, each one feeling like a lifetime. Both of them felt like they should say something to fill the uneasy void, but neither knew just what that something was. Sofia thought of her next sentence first.

"Mr Ceedric, have you ever liked someone?" Sofia's voice was small, unsure if the question would only further annoy her friend, but overcome with curiosity anyways. Cedric stopped his pacing, his back to Sofia.

"No one who ever liked me back." He explained softly. Sofia reflected on his answer for a moment.

"What about the girls who did like you?" She followed up innocently. Cedric groaned. How he hated this conversation.

"There weren't any, Princess." He admitted flatly.

"Oh, but there must have been. I'll bet they were just too shy to say so." She paused, observing her friend for a moment. He made his way to his desk, and began to fiddle with the mess of papers sprawled out on top of it.

"I think I would have liked you, if we were in school together." She stated firmly. Cedric bent over his desk, gripping the sides as tightly as he could. He mentally willed the princess to stop talking. Finally, the spell clicked. He steeled himself, grabbed his wand, and walked back to the princess, motioning for her to stand. He did an awkward mix of looking her over for remaining marks while also avoiding the intense gaze of the girl's deep blue eyes. He was hoping to find her healed enough to end these sessions, but she wasn't quite.

" **Imperfectum Indicernicus!** " Cedric recited, hiding what was left of her bruises. He returned to his desk, sitting so he couldn't see Sofia and doing his best to look busy.

"Mr Ceedric..." Sofia started, but the sorcerer slammed his hands on the desk in frustration before she had a chance to say any more.

"Princess Sofia, I have my hands full with work at the moment, and I don't have time for any more of your nonsense today. I would very much appreciate it if you would take the hint and leave me be." He snapped, instantly regretting it. He opened his mouth to apologize but was interrupted by the sound of his door slamming shut and feet running down his stairs. Cedric hung his head, resting his face in his hands. _She didn't deserve that_. He reprimanded himself.

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 **Author's note:** Poor Cedric, the spell and everything that comes with it is really starting to get to him in this chapter. He had a "too real" moment, for sure. The next goal for a bonus chapter is coming up, so there may be one more published before next Friday.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: 2,000 views! It actually happened Friday, but I wanted to wait to post this bonus chapter to (hopefully) avoid the update/notification bug. This chapter was hard to write. I really wanted to avoid princess visits altogether, but a Sofia story just didn't seem complete without one. I am definitely not a song writer, sorry. All your lovely comments make me so happy, but they also make me really nervous when I add a new element to the story, like I do in the end of this chapter, because I worry that people will be disappointed or not like it. :P

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Sofia ran all the way to her room, completely ignoring James when he tried to call out for her in the hallway. Once the doors closed behind her, the princess threw herself on her bed and sobbed. She didn't even notice her amulet begin to glow. She was unaware of anyone else in the room until she heard the other princess speak.

"Why are you crying, little one?" The voice asked soothingly. Sofia sat up quickly and looked around, her eyes coming to rest on a beautiful princess with long, wild black hair and large brown eyes. She wore a strange brown dress and beautiful turquoise jewelry _. My amulet sent me a princess!_ Sofia thought, her tears slowing as excitement crept in.

"Your amulet brought me to help you. I am Pocahontas." The mysterious princess informed Sofia.

"I'm Sofia." She introduced herself, sniffling. The princess sat on the bed next to Sofia, smiling warmly at her.

"Why don't you tell me what made you cry, and we'll see if we can make it better." Pocahontas told her quietly. Sofia took a deep breath, trying to sort out what she wanted to say in her head.

"I had a big fight with my best friend." Sofia started to explain. Pocahontas nodded.

"What was the fight about?" She proded gently.

"There's this new boy I like at school, and when I tried to talk to him about it, he suddenly became cross with me." Sofia confided to the princess.

"Well, what did he say to you?" Pocahontas asked her. Sofia went over the argument again in her head, even though she badly wanted to forget the whole thing.

"He said I was too young for boys, and I should focus on my studies." She summarized. Pocahontas nodded.

"That's why the amulet sent me. I told my best friend Nacoma that I liked a man who had recently come to our land, and we argued about it, too."

"What did you do?" Sofia asked, starting to be hopeful for a solution to help her feel better and make Cedric less upset.

"I had to understand that my friend only wanted what was best for me." Pocahontas explained to Sofia.

"When you and a friend argue

You need to see it from their view.

Listen to what they're saying

That's the best place to start.

When you do, you may find

They have your best interest at heart.

Your friends want what's best for you,

They want to help get you through

Even though it may be hard to see." Pocohantas sang.

"He just wants what's best... For me." Sofia finished, cheering up a bit.

"I'm still sorry we fought, but it does make me feel better to think about it that way." She smiled sincerely at the woman sitting beside her

"I'm glad you feel better, Sofia. You should try to be patient and understanding with your friends, just like you want them to be with you. That's what being a good friend is all about." Pocahontas smiled back at Sofia.

"I will. Thank you, Pocahontas." Sofia said, but the older princess was already gone.

Just then, the small, round door in Sofia's wall opened, and her longtime rabbit friend hopped out, his face covered in blueberry goop.

"Did I just hear singing, kid?" He asked, still munching the last bit of blueberries he held in his mouth.

"Princess Pocahontas came to help me with a problem." Sofia explained to the messy bunny.

"Oh, yeah? What'd she say?" He hopped up to his nap pillow, ready to conk out after Sofia filled him in. It had been a long day of playing with Jay and Mia in the garden, and his whole body was tired, but he always made time for Sofia.

"She said Mr Ceedric was only mad at me earlier because he wants what's best for me." She turned in surprise to her rabbit friend, who was laughing uncontrollably at her words. Upon seeing Sofia's face, he began to calm himself. _She's_ _serious_. He realized.

"Sofia, that old creep? He only cares about what's best for himself!" Clover tried to reason with Sofia. The princess wasn't having it.

"Clover, that's not nice. You don't know him like I do!" She scolded the rabbit.

"You're right... I know him better. He's bad news, Sof." Clover insisted. Sofia felt herself getting angry with her friend, her face turning hot. Then, she remembered what Pocahontas had said and took a few deep breaths. _Look at it from his point of view._ She reminded herself. When she stopped and did what the older princess suggested, she understood that Clover was just trying to watch out for her, too.

She bent down and scratched his head, watching his face turn to a sleepy contentment. _I'm so lucky to have good friends who care about keeping me safe and happy._ She concluded.

She rose from her spot to find something to clean Clover with, but when she turned back to the rabbit, he was fast asleep. Sofia giggled to herself as he snored softly on his tassled pillow, she'd have to give him a bath later, but for now she'd let him sleep.

Sofia found herself feeling much better, so she decided to take a walk outside before dinner. She went about the palace grounds on her own for a while, before running into her brother.

"Are you okay, Sofia? I tried to call you earlier, but you just ran off in the other direction." James had a look of concern on his face, and Sofia smiled warmly at him. _James wants me to be happy, too. I have so many kind people around me. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now._

 _You shouldn't be here, peasant!_ Umbra's voice ripped through her head. Sofia shook the thought away. All of these people cared for her so much. There was no way she wasn't right where she was meant to be.

"I was upset over something earlier, but I had some time to think, and now I'm feeling much better." She told her brother, leaving out the full backstory. _He might tell Dad that Mr Cedric snipped at me, and Dad would punish him for it._ _I know now that he didn't mean anything by it._

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better, Sof. Can I walk with you?" James asked. Sofia nodded at him, and the two walked the grounds together. They made small talk for a while, and then James stopped and turned towards Sofia.

"It's really nice to spend time with you, Sofia. I feel like we've barely seen each other lately." He told her earnestly. She nodded, there had been so much going on that she hadn't had much quality time with her brother and sister.

"Zandar's birthday is this weekend. You're going to his party, right?" James continued. Had she heard about the party? Sofia tried to remember, but couldn't. Finally she shrugged.

"Of course, I'll be going. We can spend some time together while we're there, too. That way we can get all caught up." She smiled at her brother, completely unaware of what her words were doing to him. James steeled himself, taking a deep breath and standing up straight and tall.

"Sofia, I have a... That is to say, that I... I-I have to go, now." James finished his sentence with a defeated sigh. That wasn't at all what he meant to say to Sofia. Ever since she'd started spending so much time with Dax, he had been feeling very jealous.

Today, he walked to the carriage and witnessed that intimate moment, Dax cupping Sofia's face, whispering something gentle to her that made her smile in a way she had never smiled at James before. That was when he knew that his jealousy was more than just a brother wanting to spend quality time with his sister.

 _James, you coward!_ He scolded himself, running off. He roughly wiped his sleeve at the wetness threatening to roll down his face. Sofia stood in the grass, watching her brother retreat. _That was strange._ She commented to herself before turning back to her stroll.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note:** Thanks to Princess Time, Sofia is feeling better. But how is our favorite melodramatic sorcerer handling their fight?

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Cedric lay in bed, sleep refusing to claim him. He had been trying all afternoon to keep his mind off the argument he had with Sofia earlier, but in the still, quiet hours of the night, it had all come flooding back. Over and over, it played through his head, assaulting his weary brain. _If only I'd done this. If only I'd said that._ The thoughts chased through his head in an endless loop. He glanced angrily at Wormwood. The raven had been sleeping soundly on his perch for the last few hours, and Cedric begrudged him his ability to rest on such a night. He fought the temptation to wake his familiar so he could have some company as he lay there torturing himself.

 _The way she looked when I snapped at_ _her..._ He moaned, picturing her sad face all too clea _rly. The things I said to her to make her to leave. She was confiding her true feelings to me, and I called them nonsense._

He twisted in his bed some more, already quite tangled in his bedding _. These god awful bedclothes. No wonder I can't get comfortable._ He debated removing them. _After everything I said, maybe she won't come tomorrow, so it would be okay._ He decided against it. _No, I'll just lay here and sweat to death, instead. It serves me right for the way I behaved._

New memories were filtering in to torment him now. Sofia tugging Dax's shirt, sobbing against his chest. Dax soothing her, and bringing the smile back to her features. The memories felt like they belonged to a stranger _. That. I want to be that._ He thought briefly, before forcing the images away.

 _No, that's not who I really am. It's a momentary distraction. A means to the end of getting my life back to normal, without that little nuisance constantly in my workshop. I just need to get things back on track so I can focus on my real goal._

 _The amulet of Avalor_. He tried to conjure the image to his mind, the only thing he had wanted for so long. His entire life had led him to that amulet, and that blasted girl had just been given it freely the very first day she came to the castle.

What had she done with it since then? _Squandered its power. Used it to help others and make friends. It makes me sick._ He told himself. Except, it didn't actually make him sick anymore. Try as he might, in that moment, he couldn't form a clear picture of the amulet. He could see Sofia as though she were standing right in front of him, but the image of the amulet evaded him.

The sorcerer finally gave up, freeing himself from the bedsheets and heading up the winding stairs. He started to brew some tea, and dug out the book that contained the entry on Sofia's powerful magic necklace.

Cedric stared at it for a long while, almost trying to hypnotize himself into yearning for it again. The kettle made a sound to tell him the tea was finished. He turned to retrieve it, and finally noticed that there was something thin and lightly colored laying on the floor in front of his heavy wooden door.

 _A letter? How long has that been here?_ He walked over to retrieve it, glancing around him as he went, almost expecting to find someone else in the tower with him. He shook his head. _That's silly, clearly it was slipped under my door at some point in the night._ Cedric chided himself.

Cedric scooped up the letter and opened it. He recognized the child's handwriting immediately.

"Dear Mr Ceedric,

I'm very sorry I asked you questions that made you so sad, just as I'm very sure you're sorry that you got so cross about it. I know that we only did that because we're dear friends, and we want what's best for each other. Can we just forgive each other and go back to normal? We don't even have to talk about what happened, if it's easier. I'll see you in the morning!

Sofia"

Cedric leaned against the door, sliding down until he was sitting on the stone floor of his workshop. He crumpled the paper in his hand and threw it down next to him.

"It's Cedric!" He exclaimed to the empty room. He sat there a few moments before retrieving the paper and smoothing it over his knee. He read it again, smiling faintly as he did. Then, he stood and unlocked his desk drawer, gently tucking the letter away inside.

He absentmindedly shut his magical artifacts book, the amulet all but forgotten once again. He had a quick cup of tea before heading back downstairs to bed, this time falling right into a deep sleep.

 _"Dax?" Sofia called curiously, dashing up to a nearby tree to peek around it, her playful smile replaced with a slight pout when she found no one there._

 _"Come out, come out wherever you are..." The princess called softly, wandering to the next potential hiding spot, only to find it empty, too. Cedric watched her face fall again. She moved on to the next spot, and the next. She called out for the sorcerer over and over again, the calls becoming more concerned as the game of hide-and-seek continued fruitlessly. She was unaware of Cedric's presence as he spied on her. He wanted to join her, tried to call out to her, but he could neither move nor speak. They both jumped at the rumble of thunder, dark clouds quickly overtaking the bright blue sky._

 _"Dax, please, I think we should head back." He turned his curious gaze back to Sofia, and realized with a start that she was growing older as she searched for him. Her auburn curls began to fall down her back in lovely cascades that sparkled in the last rays of light. Her face thinned, her chubby cherubic form gave way to curvy, elegant features. He felt a lump in his throat as he saw the beautiful princess approach the edge of the riverbank, still calling for her friend. She was stunning, this grown, womanly version of the princess he knew._

 _Cedric's mind raced, his heart thudding so hard that he thought it might actually explode. The ominous clouds burst, giving way to cold, pouring rain that fell in ridiculously large droplets from the sky. Cedric looked up at the storm for just a second._

 _A scream pierced through the air and Cedric's paralysis ended, he shot off in the direction she had last been before she dropped out of view. He hit the edge of the bank and faltered, bracing himself as his foot slipped in the mud, almost sending him straight into the river. When he'd caught his balance, he looked down, horrified to see Sofia being swept away by the raging grey water._

 _"Sofia!" He looked around for something to offer her, some way to rescue her from drowning, but he found nothing. He saw, too clearly given their distance, the matured princess clutching the amulet around her throat._

 _"Make me a mermaid!" She pleaded with the amulet, the words barely reaching Cedric over the roaring water and crashing of the storm. She begged the amulet desperately to save her, but nothing happened. The sorcerer watched in sheer terror as she was dragged beneath the surface of the water. She fought her way back up again and again. Suddenly her eyes grew wide in shock, staring straight at... his hand. Cedric looked down to see the Amulet of Avalor, the real one, resting casually in the palm of his outstretched hand. He realized with a start that he was showing it to her, gloating as she struggled against the current. He returned his attention to Sofia. He had to tell her it wasn't what she thought, that it had all been a mistake, but still no words would come out, and it was too late. He watched helplessly as the angry river claimed Sofia for the last time. Her last words traveled through the air towards him._

 _"Mr Ceedric, please!" She cried desperately, hauntingly._

"Mr Cee-dric!" The cry came again, and Cedric awoke with a start. He was in his bed, dressed in those loathsome bedclothes, sheets tangled tightly around his thin body. He was drenched in sweat, and two small hands were placed gently on his chest. He swatted them away without thinking, then looked into the large blue eyes of the little princess.

"Sofia?" He asked, not fully comprehending how she was here at his side when he had just seen her meet with a terrible fate. He sat up in a panic, and it slowly dawned on him that it had been a nightmare. He took several deep breaths, his lungs refusing to acknowledge that there was any air in them.

"W-Water." He barely mananged to croak out, and the girl quickly disappeared from his room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note:** I had a ridiculously huge burst of inspiration this last week, and I now have more or less final drafts of updates all the way through to chapter 33! Hope you guys are interested in a good long story, lol. Of course, after that I stalled hard right in the middle of a conversation, but I clearly have some time to get my mojo back before I run out of chapters to post.

* * *

Sofia entered Cedric's tower, not bothering to knock since she knew he wouldn't be up, yet. She made her way to his bed, and was just reaching out her hands to shake him when he called out.

"Sofia!" _He called my name! Is Mr Ceedric dreaming about me?_ She wondered, imagining pleasant things he might be dreaming about like performing magic, playing games, or maybe walking the palace grounds.

"No, I didn't mean it. I didn't..." She couldn't make out the rest of the words that came after. She frowned at the pained look on her friend's face, his body lurching in his bed.

"Mr Ceedric, please... wake up." She insisted, placing her hands on his shoulders and shaking him gently. He moaned sorrowfully in his sleep.

"Mr Cee-dric!" She shook harder. Cedric's eyes shot open suddenly. He looked panicked out of his mind, and she placed her hands on his chest in an attempt to soothe him, but he swatted them away blindly, seemingly not yet aware that he wasn't dreaming any longer. He found her eyes, awareness returning to him.

"Sofia?" He sounded so confused when he said her name again. He sat up in bed, and Sofia looked him over worriedly. His face resembled a cross between a lost little boy and a frightened animal. His eyes darted around the room as if he'd never seen it before.

"W-water!" His voice sounded so strange. She hopped up and ran into the other room to fetch him some.

When she returned, he had mostly regained his composure. Staring out of his window, he reached up and pushed his hand through his hair absentmindedly.

"Here's the water you asked for, Mr Ceedric." Sofia held the glass out to him, and he turned away from the window. He studied her for a moment, and it seemed he didn't even notice the water. Then he let out an audible sigh and bent to grab the glass she offered.

As he did this, his eyes darted down and scanned her amulet quickly, and Sofia smiled at him. He never said as much, but she knew that the sorcerer was as fond of the amulet as she was, likely impressed by the magic it held within, one of the very same things that made her admire him. He had helped her protect the amulet more times than she could count, making sure it remained with her no matter how much danger he had to put himself in to do so.

 _He's actually pretty heroic, when you think about it._ Sofia mused, wishing her friend could see himself through her eyes. She didn't fully understand it, but she knew he didn't think very highly of himself.

He sat back down on the bed, and Sofia shifted awkwardly. Her plan had been to wish him a cheerful good morning, have a quick cup of tea, get her spell, and then race to school. The sorcerer clearly needed her there, though, and she decided that was much more important than arriving early to see Dax.

"Are you okay?" She asked him quietly, not wanting to startle him while he was already so frazzled. Cedric cleared his throat.

"Yes... Yes, I'm better now." He replied, but his eyes still held a wild sort of fear in them.

"Did you have a nightmare?" She asked, crossing the room to sit down next to him. As she settled in on his bed, Cedric's body tensed, but he didn't shoo her away like she expected he might, so she stayed put.

"It was more than that... Too vivid for an ordinary nightmare. Lucid... Prophetic, perhaps." He sounded more like he was talking to himself than answering her question, but she nodded anyways.

"Sofia, I never meant to harm you..." He continued, the true meaning of his words lost on the little princess. She assumed he was talking about what happened the day before, and did her best to reassure him.

"I told you, we don't have to talk about that. I never meant to upset you with my questions, either." She smiled up at him, hoping they could move on from the topic. Cedric stared at her silently for a while before remembering their argument. _She thinks I'm apologizing for yesterday._ He thought, relieved but also frustrated that he couldn't tell her what he really meant by his statement. _It's better this way. I'd regret it later, when the dream doesn't have me so upset._ He convinced himself.

He glanced back down at the princess and sighed, lightly wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you, Sofia?" He wondered out loud. The pure adoration in her face as she gazed up at him was enough to break his heart.

"Everyone deserves to have a good friend, Mr Ceedric." Sofia replied innocently. Cedric shook his head in amazement at the child's words

"Not everyone." He stated decisively, before standing to make their morning tea.

"I'm going to be away for the weekend. Do you think I'll be okay without the glamor?" Sofia asked him. Cedric paused, surprised at the idea of a weekend without the princess, after he had become so used to having her around all the time. He turned to look over his shoulder at her, studying what was left of her injuries. He nodded, turning back to the teapot.

"I'd be surprised if you even needed to come up here tomorrow." He told her. Sofia frowned at his back. It hadn't occurred to her until now that she'd be expected to stop visiting once she was better. Minus a few unpleasantries, she had come to love this daily routine they had. A lonely sort of feeling settled on her.

"Oh, but I'd still come just to visit." She insisted, hoping he wouldn't tell her to stay away, but suddenly very sure that he would. She watched his black hair sweep across the top of his neck as he shook his head.

"No, Princess. That won't be necessary. You can come for your lessons, of course, but anything else would be..." The words caught in his throat. This was what he wanted. To have his tower back, to be free of her constant presence. So why couldn't he tell her so? He poured their tea and took it to the table, trying to ignore the wounded look on Sofia's face.

"It's just not proper, Sofia. Princesses don't spend all their time in dusty old towers." He tried to explain to the girl as she made her way to the chair opposite the one he lowered himself into. He waited for her to answer. When she gave no response, he decided to change the subject.

"So, Princess, what exciting event will you be off to this weekend?" Cedric watched her face brighten a little, and felt the weight of the previous conversation begin to lift off of them.

"It's Prince Zandar's birthday, and he always throws the most ah-mazing parties!" She filled him in on the details of last year's event, though she hadn't actually been able to attend, as they drank their tea.

He had piqued her curiosity when he said his dream might be prophetic, but she knew the timing wasn't right earlier. Once she was fairly confident the question wouldn't upset him, she gathered the courage to ask him about it.

"Can you really dream about the future, Mr Ceedric? Could you teach me how to do it?" As she spoke, her eyes went wide with excitement at the idea. Cedric simply shook his head at the questions.

"People who are gifted with it and really hone the skill can do it with a fair amount of accuracy." He told her. She studied him for a minute before pressing him for more.

"Can you?" She prodded, hoping she'd found yet another interesting fact about her friend.

"No. For the rest of us, it's usually several premonitions mixed together into what seems like a single event, all the true details left vague enough to be completely unhelpful." He explained. If Sofia wanted to learn, she'd have to have a natural talent for it, which he didn't suspect she did, and a teacher far better at it than he was.

She nodded that she understood, but he was busy pointedly looking away from her, trying in vain not to recall the horrid details of his dream. Once he regained control of his thoughts, he cast the spell and assured her that he was fine, then watched as she hurried off to school.

* * *

I really loved the comments about Cedric's dream, so much so that I almost went back and changed the parts about it being prophetic. But I already had the next few chapters written out and it was an important plot point. It would have taken way too much to adjust it, so instead I added the part about him not being all that skilled at dream magic. Let's just all agree that it can be a mix of prophesy and symbolism. :P


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note: I had to rework this and the next chapter, because Sofia came off as too 'damsel in distress', and that's not the princess we know and love. Other than that, not much to say except that I love all the feedback this story has received, and I hope everyone likes these chapters. :D

* * *

Cedric approached the school in better spirits than he had been when he woke up, though he couldn't completely shake that awful dream. Sofia waved at him from the door, and he returned the gesture, running to meet up with her. It felt like such a chore to pretend he hadn't seen her since yesterday. Normally, it came easily to him, but not this time.

"Hey!" She greeted him eagerly, flashing a brilliant smile at him, and suddenly being Dax came naturally.

"Hey, yourself. What's going on?" Sofia shook her head. A girl Cedric didn't recognize very well turned and waved at him on her way inside, and he casually waved back.

"Not much, I wanted to ask you about something." Cedric's facade faltered, thoughts of their argument yesterday replaying in his mind. _Not now, Sofia. I can barely function as it is._ He silently willed her not to confess to him.

"I-I really have to... get to Miss Fauna's. Can it wait until break?" He stumbled on the words, forcing a smile as he spoke.

"Okay." She beamed at him. He remembered his promise to take her to and from class from now on, so he offered her his arm as casually as he could muster, and together they entered the school.

When he arrived at the magic classroom after dropping Sofia off, Miss Fauna waved to him cheerfully.

"If it isn't my favorite assistant!" She stated, clasping her hands happily.

"I'm your only assistant." He reminded her, dropping his backpack in the corner behind her desk and heading over to see what they would be working on this morning. He saw an assortment of familiar ingredients scattered over the top of the fairy's desk: Kelp, Chia, Chrysanthemum, Slippery Root, and Peat Moss.

"Protection spell?" He asked, regarding the supplies thoughtfully. The teacher's eyes widened at Cedric's knowledge, and she nodded in approval.

"Very good Mendax. What sort of protection would you use these things for?" Cedric's brow furrowed in thought, and he concentrated a moment.

"Travel, I suppose..." He answered, fairly confident that he was correct.

"That's right! With everyone traveling for Prince Zandar's party this weekend, I thought it would be a good idea. We're not doing this one until tomorrow, but I thought we'd get a head start on getting everything ready." Miss Fauna explained, studying Cedric. _This boy, he never ceases to amaze me._

Cedric walked to the supply cabinet and retrieved the mortar and pestle from it, returning to the desk. He began to prepare the ingredients and quickly lost himself in the task at hand. It was a welcome diversion from everything that had been happened since Sofia came to visit his tower yesterday.

Miss Fauna watched as he worked skillfully, shaking her head in wonder. _It's almost a shame he's going to be a king. He'd make a fantastic sorcerer._ She thought to herself, picking up her own tools and going to work. After a while, Cedric broke the silence.

"So, if this is tomorrow's lesson, what are we doing today?" He asked without looking up, still focused on his work.

"We'll be outside today, conjuring and dispelling rain." She informed him lightly. His hands stilled, images of the terrifying storm from his dream washing over him.

"Why would you want to do that?" He asked as evenly as he could, suppressing a shudder. _It's probably nothing. I've never been good with dream magic._ He reassured himself.

"There are plenty of good reasons to conjure rain. Fighting drought, putting out fires and things like that. Of course being able to dispell a storm is a good thing to know if you get caught out in one." She said, too busy to notice Cedric's reaction to her lesson plan.

Students began to trickle in, and Miss Fauna cleared her desk, waiting for the class to fill up. Once everyone had arrived, she explained what they would be doing today, and the class moved outside.

The children had a blast starting and stopping rain until it was time to switch to their next class. Cedric and Miss Fauna returned to the room just as Sofia and her classmates were arriving.

Sofia and Cedric exchanged glances as she passed, but he tried not to distract her from the instructions the teacher was already giving, so after he waved at her, he sat down and behaved himself. Once Miss Fauna finished, they headed out. The spell was difficult, and none of the students who were picked to go first managed to cast it.

Finally, it was Sofia's turn. Cedric watched her intently, his wand at the ready in case anything should go wrong. She concentrated as hard as she could, and produced a decent cloud on her first attempt.

 **"Precipitous!** " She said, flicking her wand at the cloud, and it greyed as water began to trickle down from it. Cedric let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Excellent work, Sofia!" Miss Fauna commented as she floated past the young girl. With more practice, everyone had the spell working, and they were split off into small groups to practice together. Miss Fauna paired Sofia and her siblings up with Cedric.

"Mendax, I want you practicing, too." She reminded him before moving on. Everyone spread out across the school grounds so there would be room to work.

"Let's go over there!" Sofia insisted, pointing to the edge of a wooded area. Again, Cedric had flashbacks of his dream.

"I think we should stay in the grass." He told her in the strictest voice his ten-year-old self could muster, trying to discourage the adventurous princess.

"Oh please, Dax?" She stuck her lip out in a pout, and it took everything in him to resist her request.

"I think it's the perfect spot!" James countered before Cedric could answer, casually grabbing Sofia's hand and heading off in that direction before anyone could argue further. Amber's face showed her annoyance. Of course, they'd pick somewhere wooded. She couldn't understand what appealed to her siblings about being in the outdoors. It was full of bugs and dirt. Cedric and Amber trailed behind the other two children.

They entered the woods, and Cedric made sure to keep them right on the border of the yard, ignoring Sofia's pout at not being allowed to explore further.

"Keep your clouds small and below the treeline." He instructed them. James and Amber began to cast their spells, after a few tries they were making several small puffy clouds before commanding them to rain. Sofia broke away from her siblings and approached Cedric, a sneaky grin on her face.

"I thought we could talk out here." She informed him. Cedric groaned, realizing that the twins were far enough for them to continue the conversation she had tried to start earlier. He attempted to ignore her, casting his own clouds. She cast a few, too, but continued talking.

"Prince Zandar, from my class, is having a party this weekend, and I was wondering if you would be there." She told him, doing her best to act natural. James stopped what he was doing to watch his sister and his new friend, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

"I haven't been invited." Cedric informed Sofia flatly, conjuring another cloud.

"That's okay, you can come with us." She smiled at the older boy, and he steeled himself.

"I'm very busy on weekends, Sofia." She was looking at him with pleading eyes, now, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to say no to the girl. He tried to distract himself by casting the rain spell on one of the clouds.

"Oh, please?" She begged, clasping his free hand in both of hers, just as his other hand twirled his wand.

" **Precipitous!** " Once struck by his magic, the cloud began to rise above them, expanding as it went, the color changing to an ominous grey with streaks of light flashing through it. Chills ran through Cedric's spine. Sofia let go of his hand and backed up in surprise. She was usually pretty brave about storms, but the practically tangible crackle of magic in the air mixed with the rapid change in atmosphere to create a rather alarming situation. The temperature around them plummeted several degrees in a matter of seconds.

"Dax-" She started. Cedric's eyes were firmly on the cloud. _What was that blasted spell to make it stop?_ He tried hard to remember, but with panic setting in fast, fueled by memories of his terrible nightmare, his mind simply fumbled around uselessly. _I know it started with an "F"_. He settled on the first spell that came to mind.

" **Fulgur!** " He shouted, twirling his wand in a circle in the air above him. He knew it was wrong as soon as the spell left his lips. The cloud darkened further, and he stared up at it, still trying to recall the proper spell. Fat, heavy raindrops began to fall on the children's heads. There was a roar of thunder, a flash that briefly lit the entirety of the woods, and a loud, sickening, cracking sound to his side. Then, as she had in his nightmare, Sofia let out an ear-piercing scream.

* * *

According to Google Translate, Fulgur is Latin for lightning. I accidentally posted the story with Cedric saying Fulgar with an a instead, which apparently means glitter. Oops! Fixed now.


	11. Chapter 11

Cedric's attention was torn away from the storm just in time to watch in horror as a large, smoldering branch from one of the older trees prepared to hurtle towards Sofia. She was hunched over, screaming, with her ears covered ears, and her eyes closed, terribly afraid of the storm, or rather the wild, unpredictable magic that crackled through the woods as the storm grew. She had no idea that the branch was seconds away from crashing down on top of her, attached to the tree by a mere inch, which was all too quickly burning away.

Cedric tried to call out to her, and willed himself to move, but just like in the dream, he was paralyzed. He was so terrified that he couldn't budge, stuck there in silent shock. Wide-eyed, he watched the branch prepare to fall in what felt like slow motion.

"Sofia!" James called out to her in panic. The sound broke Cedric out of his awful trance, and he sprung into action, hurling himself at the princess. The two of them toppled over, landing off to the side, Cedric shielding her with himself just as the flaming branch landed directly on the ground where she had stood only a second ago. He breathed heavily, clutching the princess to him in relief.

"Factum!" Miss Fauna's voice shouted, and the storm disappeared. Cedric knew he should get up, take responsibility, maybe even try to explain himself. Instead, he stayed there, holding onto Sofia as if she would vanish forever when he finally let go. Her whole body was shaking, and she buried her face into his chest, which only made him tighten his grip around her.

"It's okay, Sofia. It's okay. It's okay." He chanted the words into the princess's ear like a mantra. She let out a small whimper, going limp in his arms, and he continued to whisper reassurances to her.

"Who is responsible for this?" Miss Merryweather demanded, joining the other fairy. Cedric didn't move, keeping his back to the women. Sofia was much more important than the fairies, and he was determined to continue soothing her for as long as he could.

"It was Dax's cloud. I saw the whole thing." James told her, consumed with jealously as he looked at the older boy wrapped around his sister.

"He didn't do it on purpose, and he saved Sofia's life!" Amber added, coming to Cedric's defense.

"He wouldn't have had to save her if he hadn't done it in the first place." James argued. Miss Merryweather floated over to Cedric and Sofia angrily. She softened a tiny bit at the scene before her, listening to the boy chanting reassuring words to Sofia. She placed a hand on his shoulder gingerly, and he jerked.

"Prince Mendax, we need to take Sofia to the infirmary. She's probably in shock." Miss Merryweather told him quietly, casting a worried glance at his pale bundle.

"I'll carry her!" He insisted. He struggled to lift her, but found that he wasn't strong enough to safely carry her any distance in this form, and cursed himself for his weakness.

Miss Merryweather cast a floating spell, but allowed him to keep his arms around her as if he were carrying her himself. Quickly and silently, they made their way back to the school, Amber and James trailing nervously behind them.

When they arrived at the infirmary, Cedric carefully arranged an unconscious Sofia onto the cot, the fairy removing the floating spell once he wasn't at risk of dropping the girl. Cedric held her hand in his, begging Sofia to wake up. Miss Merryweather placed her hand on his shoulder again.

"She needs to rest. Come to my office so we can talk about what happened." She tried to lead him away from the bedside, but Cedric shook his head, refusing to leave her. For a moment, he completely forgot that he was currently a child and Miss Merryweather was supposed to be in charge of him.

"No! I'm not going anywhere until she wakes up. I'll tell you everything right here, if you want, but I'm not leaving her side." Cedric insisted, gripping Sofia's limp hand firmly.

He heard James scoff behind him, but kept his attention firmly on Sofia. Miss Merryweather nodded.

"Okay. We'll do this here. Tell me everything that happened." She said, trying to remain patient with the student and hear his side of things.

Cedric went over everything. Trying to keep the younger kids out of the woods, the small clouds, the party invitation, though he left out how he felt about it, the lightning spell he had accidentally cast instead of getting rid of the storm like he intended to. He told her about feeling frozen in sheer terror as the branch fell towards his friend. Finally, he recounted knocking Sofia out of the way and covering her body with his own, mere inches away from where the branch struck.

"And the rest, you saw. Miss Fauna cleared the storm, and now we're here." He was shaking as he finished the story. James stormed up to the older boy, fists clenched at his sides.

"I don't believe a word of that. Everyone knows you're the best at magic in the entire school. I bet you're even better than any of the kids at Hexley Hall. My royal sorcerer can't do magic half as well as you. You cast that lightning spell on purpose!" James shouted at Cedric, unknowingly hitting a nerve when he belittled his performance as royal sorcerer.

"And why would I do that?" He raised his voice, knowing full well that he shouldn't respond, but doing so anyways.

"Because you're a show-off, and everyone knows it. You do it in class all the time. You were showing off to try and impress Sofia! And she didn't invite you to go to that party with her, so that makes you a liar, too!" James was right in Cedric's face now, his usually fair skin glowing beet red. The fairies attempted to intervene, but they were completely ignored by both boys.

"I'm not lying about any of it. It was an accident, and she did invite me, you were just too far away to hear her. If you and Sofia hadn't taken off into the woods when I told you not to, none of this would even have happened!" Cedric didn't understand why he was so enraged with the younger boy, but the voice reminding him to keep his cool was now completely silent. He stood, glowering down at James, daring him to continue. James straightened himself up, standing as tall as he could.

"There's no way she asked you to go with her, because she was already going with me!" James spat out. His eyes widened and his hand flew up to cover his mouth, but it was too late, realization had already begun to dawn on Cedric as he stood there slack-jawed, narrowing his dark eyes at the prince. His body acting before his brain could register cohesive thought, he plowed into the boy, knocking him down onto the ground. He raised his fist and swung at James with all the strength he had, punching him right in his mouth.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : So, this chapter has some more of that OOC Cedric that I keep promising will get explained in-story later, and I still promise. Originally, it was explained by now, but that was before I expanded the story.

One advantage of having chapters written so far ahead of updates is that I get to see the reactions & speculations in the comments. I had to chuckle when James' crush was revealed and all of the comments were talking about how they hope James doesn't interfere with Dax, because I knew that in a few short chapters this was going to happen. Anyways, thanks as always for reading, and I really do love reviews.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Notes:** Loved the reviews the last chapter got. Not much to say about this one that I didn't already point out when explaining the beginning of the fight last chapter, so I guess just enjoy!

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Cedric's mind raced as he and James exchanged blows, the older boy managing to keep the upperhand. _This is who Sofia was talking about yesterday? This entitled, self-centered brat is the boy she likes. How dare he accuse me of putting Sofia in harm's way! Everything I've done lately is to protect her_. In that moment, he hated James so much for so many reasons that he was completely overwhelmed by the feeling.

He felt his body freeze, arm raised in mid-air, ready to make impact again. The fairies had recovered from their shock at the argument and Cedric's sudden attack, and frozen both boys.

"If either one of you really cared about Sofia, you wouldn't dream of behaving this way in front of her." Miss Merryweather huffed at them.

Cedric lifted his head, the only part of himself he could still move, and looked up, ashamed to see a shocked Sofia staring down at the them. _No, I wanted to be there to comfort her when she opened her eyes. How long ago did she wake up?_

"Sofia, I-I..." Cedric desperately tried to come up with an explanation as he watched tears begin to spill down the princess's cheeks. Miss Fauna floated over to her and wrapped an arm around her, shushing the girl gently.

"I hate you both, and I never want to speak to you again!" She shouted before plopping back down on the bed, curling into a small sniffling ball under her blanket.

Miss Merryweather unfroze the boys and they both scrambled to Sofia's side, talking over each other while trying to apologize. Sofia didn't say anything else, or even acknowledge them, and Miss Merryweather quickly led the boys out of the infirmary and straight to her office.

"You are both suspended from school for 3 days. I will be sending word to your parents-" She stopped, and her face fell as she regarded Cedric hesitantly.

"I imagine you have a regent?" She asked. Cedric paused a moment before remembering Dax's orphan backstory, then nodded stiffly, avoiding the fairy's gaze.

"Regardless, I will be sending word home with both of you. James, I'm going to forget what I heard in there, and the other fairies will be instructed to as well. Your personal life is none of our concern." Cedric's jaw dropped again.

"You're not serious. His parents should know what he said. Every disgusting word of it!" He exclaimed, once again forgetting his position as a student at the school. James stared daggers at the side of his head, and it took everything Cedric had in him not to pounce on the boy again.

"Mendax, jealousy does not suit a future king. I suggest you let the matter end here." Cedric crossed his arms angrily. _I am not jealous of a nine-year-old boy, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard._ He brooded silently. _It's nothing like that._ He didn't have a better explanation for the rage still boiling inside of him, though, so he kept quiet.

"How... How much was my sister awake for?" James asked Miss Merryweather quietly. Cedric was appaled.

"You mean your girlfriend?" He shot, his voice thick with venom. James started to stand, clearly prepared to hit Cedric again. Cedric pulled himself up to his full height, practically daring him to try it. Miss Merryweather gave them a warning stare, and Cedric went back to sulking. The boys quickly returned to their seats.

"She woke up shortly after the first blow was thrown, unfortunately." Cedric heard James breathe a sigh of relief, and it only agitated him further.

"Can I go now?" The sorcerer asked, standing to exit.

"As long as you leave immediately. No hanging around. Do not let me catch either of you on school grounds during your suspension." She warned both of the boys sternly. A thought struck Cedric hard.

"Please, Sofia, she- can you keep her in the infirmary during break? It's very important." Miss Merryweather studied his face and noted the genuine concern she found there. However, she couldn't agree with his request.

"If she's deemed well enough to go outside, then she will be sent out with everyone else." She informed him.

 _What have I done?_ Cedric thought, his already pale skin losing what little color it had. He hung his head in shame and left the building. He considered charging back into the office and explaining to the headmistress why she absolutely must keep Sofia inside with an adult, but he had no proof, and there was no way she would believe him today of all days.

When he reached a safe distance from the school, he transported home. In his tower, he desperately tried to think of a plan to protect Sofia from Umbra's wrath while Dax was absent. He stared down at the suspension slip he now held in his hands, reading it once more before crumbling it in anger.

"How could I be so stupid?" He demanded aloud. He didn't have time to sit around being mad at himself, he needed to come up with something. They'd be sending Sofia outside any minute now. He couldn't transport her here, because he couldn't see her, and besides, he didn't have a good excuse to do it. He could go to the school as the royal sorcerer and claim she was needed urgently at home, but it would look suspicious if he didn't pick up her sister, too, and if the king found out... Cedric gulped, unable to finish the thought.

No matter what idea came to him, the end result was that it wouldn't work and one or both of them would get into more trouble for it. He looked out of his tower window, trying to get some fresh air, only to see Prince James exiting the coach that had brought him home from school.

 _This is all his fault!_ Cedric raged, seriously considering turning the boy into a toad as he watched him slowly walk towards the palace, his own suspension slip held firmly in his hands. _He has to get the paper signed. Oh, I want to see this!_

Cedric quickly turned himself back into an adult and dressed. He caught sight of the mirror and realized he needed to use the glamor spell on himself. He cast it hastily and exited the tower practically racing to the throne room while still pulling on his robe. The prince was slowly pacing the hall outside, trying to gather the courage to face his father.

"Cedric, do you need something?" King Roland asked his sorcerer in surprise when he entered. The man usually only left his tower when summoned, and even then he was never in a hurry to appear. Cedric tried to think fast, kicking himself for not having a good excuse to be there.

"I-I was wondering if I-" Cedric began, but was cut off when the prince sheepishly entered the room.

"Just a moment, Cedric. James, why aren't you in school?" The king inquired. He looked his son over with concern. The boy's lip was split, he had quite the welt on his jaw, and his eye was already turning black and purple. Cedric smirked at his appearance, still angry with the boy, but covered his amusement by putting his hand to his mouth and faking a small cough.

"I..." James looked down at the slip of paper in his hands, before reaching to give it to his father, and staring at his feet as King Roland read the letter carefully.

"James, you were... fighting?" Roland looked back at his son, his eyes wide with shock.

"He was showing off and almost got Sofia killed! Then, he lied about her while she was knocked out. I heard him myself." James protested a bit too loudly, desperately trying to defend himself from his father's disapproving gaze.

Cedric's hand tightened around his wand, and he summoned all the self-control he had in him to stop from cursing the boy where he stood. _That little liar! I notice he completely left out the part about asking Sofia to be his date to the party, too._ Cedric narrowed his eyes, that feeling from earlier returning full force. He opened his mouth to tell his side of the story, but luckily he caught himself before he spoke. Roland stood from his throne, his voice filled with worry.

"Is Sofia alright?" He asked his son, just having learned about his youngest daughter's brush with death. James nodded, and the king sat back down, relief washing over him.

"Well, James, even if you had good reasons... even if you were defending your younger sister, fighting is not the way to handle it. You will be grounded to your room for a week." Cedric stifled a laugh. _Guess you won't be going to that party after all, boy._ Cedric felt victorious, practically glowing at this news. He couldn't explain why it made him so giddy, but it did. As Roland dismissed his son, Cedric suddenly had a good idea to excuse his presence in the throne room and get Dax back into Sofia's good graces at the same time. _After all, I can't protect her if she won't go near me._


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** This chapter was completely different, and I didn't like it very much. Then one of the comments on the last chapter gave me a burst of inspiration, and I rewrote about half of it, and it's so much better. I have a feeling you guys will like it. So just a little reminder that not only are reviews loved, but sometimes they bring the muse out to play.

Sorry this is a day late, I was crazy busy yesterday.

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"I'm sorry Cedric, you had a matter to discuss?" Roland turned his attention back to the royal sorcerer as James sullenly retreated from the throne room.

"I wanted to request the weekend off, Your Majesty. I was thinking of visiting my parents. But... if it isn't a good time, we could discuss it later..." Cedric lied to the king. Roland shook his head.

"Nonsense, now is as good a time as any. I think it's a splendid idea. Be sure to say hello to your father for me, won't you?" Cedric nodded that he would, though he had no intention of seeing the older man.

"Thank you, King Roland." He said as he turned to make his exit.

"Cedric... You don't think I was too hard on him, do you?" Cedric paused and looked over his shoulder at the king, surprised that Roland would seek his counsel on such matters.

"Of course not! Boys will be boys, and all that, but he still needs to be punished for his actions." Cedric stated firmly, and the king nodded in agreement before giving Cedric his leave. The sorcerer retreated to his workshop, nothing left to do but wait anxiously for Sofia to arrive.

As he sunk defeatedly into his armchair, his familiar flew back into the tower, landing on his perch with a loud caw. Cedric turned, studying the bird intently. Maybe there was something he could do after all.

"Wormy... How would you like to earn some peanut brittle?" The sorcerer drawled.

When she realized that there was no one left to protect her, Sofia desperately tried to convince the fairies that she wasn't well enough to go outside. She even tried to get them to send her home for the day. Nothing worked, however.

She trudged down the hall towards the doors, fearing what would come and trying to make sense of the day so far. She knew Dax's spell had been an accident, she could see it in his face. She wasn't angry about what happened in the woods.

The infirmary, however. She stopped in her tracks, picturing her brother and her good friend hitting each other, shouting horrible things as they did. She had called to them to stop, but it was like they didn't even know she was there. Why were they fighting? No one explained anything to her, and she was left to try and sort out the mess of emotions that the event gave her.

Now, she was alone. No one to take her to and from classes, only Amber to spend break with. There was no one to truly protect her, and she was terrified. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps approaching until it was too late. Someone grabbed her around the shoulders and began leading her outside.

"Sofia, darling, let's spend our break together!" Umbra declared loudly.

"Nod." She hissed in Sofia's ear, so Sofia did. They left the building together, and Umbra led her to a secluded area away from the other children. Sofia tried in vain to mentally will Amber to come find her. As soon as they were alone, Umbra threw Sofia to the ground.

"Poor little peasant girl... Your puppy-dog went and got himself thrown out of school. Turns out he's not as much of a goody-goody as we all thought. I guess I'll just have to keep you company, instead." She laughed. Sofia heard feet approaching, and for a brief moment she let herself hope that she might be rescued. Instead, she heard the voices of Umbra's friends egging the blonde on as she kicked Sofia hard in the gut.

Sofia reeled from the blow, doing her best not to throw up. She forced herself not to cry in front of the older girls.

She could see Umbra's leg drawing back for another kick, and braced herself for it, when suddenly she heard a familiar voice shouting from behind her.

"Step away from that princess!" The large black bird squawked, flying into the group. He swooped low and tangled himself in Umbra's hair. The blonde girl completely forgot about Sofia, instead screaming and jumping around in panic. Her friends turned their attention to trying to dislodge the raven. Sofia watched the scene in astonishment, so surprised that she was frozen in place until Wormwood turned his head in her direction.

"What are you waiting for? Run!" He called out to Sofia. As if a spell had been broken, suddenly her body worked. She scrambled to her feet and made a mad dash for the girl's room. Once inside, she managed to clean up before slumping down on to the bathroom floor.

Sofia missed history class entirely. Her chest hurt from the kick she received before Wormwood rescued her, her thoughts were racing in endless loops, and she just couldn't bring herself to get up. At some point, someone must have noticed she was missing, and Miss Flora found her crying in the bathroom.

"Sofia, are you alright?" The fairy asked her gently. The princess shook her head, too tired and upset to form words.

"Why don't you tell me what's wrong, sweetie?" Sofia looked up at the fairy, debating what to do. Fear of Umbra won out in the end.

"The storm. I almost got killed by a tree branch! Dax and James were..." She hiccuped between fits of crying. It wasn't a lie, exactly. All of those things were wrong, too. She had just left part out.

"Miss Flora, I just want to go home!" She pleaded after she had calmed enough to speak coherently. Miss Flora nodded at the girl.

"Okay, Sofia. Let's have a carriage sent for you." She said in a sympathetic tone. They stood and walked to the office to wait for Sofia's ride to come.

When the coach dropped her off at home, she headed straight for Cedric's tower. The sorcerer was surprised to hear Sofia's signature knock come so early.

"Mr Ceedric, can I come in?" Her voice was so small that he could barely make her words out through the thick door. He wondered why she didn't just barge in like she usually did.

Cedric crossed the room and opened the door. Sofia didn't say anything, she just threw her arms around his waist. He debated pulling her off of him, reaching his hands to pry her arms away. When he heard her small whimper, he stroked her soft brown hair instead. He couldn't close the door with her in the way, and didn't want to be seen standing in the hallway like that, so he bent down and gently lifted her up, carrying her into the room so he could shut the door behind them.

Once inside, he tried to put her back down, but she clutched at him, so he sighed and stayed put.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note:** So the reviewers won out again. Originally this conversation got delayed by Baileywick coming to collect Sofia so she could speak to her father. She didn't get back to Cedric's tower until next chapter. With a little reworking, the conversation happened right away, and I think this worked out much better.

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It took a long time before Sofia calmed and allowed herself to be put down. She had gone so still that at one point Cedric thought she might have fallen asleep like that, but when he pulled back to check he found her awake and looking slightly better. When he set her down on the floor, she blushed, rubbing unshed tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She apologized.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Princess Sofia." He told her gently, crouching down to look her in the eyes, having some inkling of the awful day the little princess had been through.

"Do you... want to talk about what has you so upset?" He asked hesitantly, a large part of him not wanting to know the answer. He walked over to his counter to get their tea started.

"It was a rough day." She murmured.

With the kettle brewing, and nothing left to do but wait, he gestured for her to sit down at the table. Grabbing his chess set, he set everything up. Sofia liked to talk while they played, and he had learned that it was a good way to get her to tell him things she was hesitant to open up about, not that it happened very often. Sofia beamed at him as she grabbed her pieces and assembled them into their starting positions.

"I've got lots of time, Sofia. Why don't you start from the beginning?" He prodded, settling into his chair opposite the little princess.

He listened patiently as she recounted the magic class gone wrong, cursing internally when she mentioned James grabbing her hand and running off with her into the woods.

"He wanted me to pair off with him, you see, but Amber insisted they work together." Sofia confided. Cedric somehow managed to sound aloof as he let out an mhmm and moved one of his pawns. He made a mental note to have Dax do something nice for the older princess.

He winced as she spoke of his spectacular magical failure and how it put her life in danger, though he was relieved to find she believed that it was an accident. He felt somewhat proud as she recounted his heroic - her words, not his - rescue. He felt himself tensing as she came to the part where she woke up in the infirmary.

"I heard a loud sound, and it woke me. I was still a little fuzzy at first, so I had trouble finding where it came from. I looked down, and there they were. Dax was on top of James, and they just kept hitting each other." She recounted, her face contorted with sorrow at the memory. For the first time, Cedric felt truly bad about the fight.

"They shouldn't have done that, Sofia, and I'm sure it was very upsetting for you to see such a display." He muttered, the closest he could come to apologizing without giving himself away.

"What's a pervert?" Sofia asked innocently, her wide innocent eyes imploring Cedric for an explanation. Instead, the sorcerer sat with his mouth agape. It took several long seconds for his voice to work.

"Wh-where in M... Merlin's name did you hear a word like... that?" He managed to stammer out.

"Dax called James one while they were fighting." She responded. Cedric wracked his brain, trying to remember. _Did I really say that?_ He certainly felt that the word fit, and clearly Sofia heard him say it. He tried to figure out just how was he supposed to tell the young girl in front of him what that word meant.

"He shouldn't have said that, and it's not a word I'm comfortable explaining to a princess." He muttered. Sofia frowned at him but continued.

"How about bastard?" She inquired. Now that one Cedric fully remembered calling the prince. That didn't mean he wanted to tell Sofia what it meant, but it was far less awkward than explaining the other word to her.

"A bastard is someone whose parents weren't married when they were born." He answered, focusing on the princess's rook as she moved, because it was easier than watching her face.

"But James' mother and father were married." She replied in confusion.

"Some people just use it as an insult." He managed to mumble. Mentally, he was kicking himself for letting such language slip in front of the little princess.

"What about-" Sofia began, but the kettle whistled, and Cedric was thankful for the interruption. He poured their tea and left it to steep.

"Why don't you just tell me what happened next, Sofia?" He asked as he returned to his seat, anxious to skip over the rest of the words she may have heard him utter during the fight. She sat quietly for a moment, clearly choosing what she said next carefully.

"Did you send Wormwood to the school today?" Sofia inquired. Cedric was in the middle of taking Sofia's queen, though the devious gleam in the princess's eyes made him suspect she may have been surrendering the piece intentionally. His hand stilled over the board, bishop still pinched between his fingers.

"Why do you ask?" He drawled, placing his piece and grimacing as Sofia let out a triumphant sound to match her wide smile.

"He... um, he helped me with a problem during break today." She fumbled. Cedric studied the girl, taking notice of the way she avoided his gaze.

"Did he? I haven't the foggiest what he was up to today. You know he never listens to me." Cedric did his best to sound casual as he lied to Sofia. Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Sofia took her turn.

"Checkmate!" She exclaimed happily. Cedric stared at the board, mouth agape. _Sofia just beat me. With a pawn?_ He scowled at the girl in front of him.

"I should never have taught you this game." He sulked, cleaning up the pieces and standing to put the set away.

Someone else knocked on the tower door, and Cedric narrowed his eyes, willing whoever it was to go away. The knock sounded again, louder and more urgent this time, and he groaned, turning to look over his shoulder at the door.

Oh, what is it?" He growled at the mystery person behind the knocking. The door swung open, and Baileywick cleared his throat, standing in the entrance of the workshop.

"The king would like to speak to his daughter about her rather... eventful day at school." He informed them.

"I don't want to go, Mr Ceedric, please let me stay." She pleaded quietly with the sorcerer. He sighed and shook his head.

"You know I have to do what your father asks, Sofia." He told her, though he wished he could do what she asked of him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note:** This chapter had to be heavily reworked because parts of the original got stripped out for last chapter, and originally Wormwood didn't save Sofia, so Cedric was brewing a healing potion. I think it turned out just fine, despite all the changes. Anyways, enjoy.

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"Sofia, are you alright?" King Roland asked his daughter as she entered the throne room.

"I had a crazy day." She said, trying her best to sound cheerful for her father.

"So I've heard. Tell me what happened." He gestured for her to sit in her purple throne, and she did. She took a deep breath and told him everything that happened before she was released from the infirmary.

"This Prince Mendax, your brother seems to think he's bad news. I trust your judgement when it comes to people, Sofia, because you've proven me wrong so many times. What do you think about him?" Sofia hesitated. If her father had asked her yesterday, she would have known exactly what to say, but now... Why had he and James been fighting?

"I thought he was a wonderful person, but now that I've seen him and James fist-fighting, I'm not sure what to think of him. I know he didn't mean to cast that spell, though, and I saw him trying hard to undo it. He saved my life, Dad." The king looked thoughtful, staying quiet a few moments.

"Sofia, the truth is sometimes boys that age just do that. We may never know what really started it, but it doesn't make either one of them a bad person on its own. If you've known him to be kind, and he saved you, then he is very likely exactly who you thought he was before this happened." King Roland offered his opinion, and Sofia hopped up to hug her father.

"Oh, I hope you're right, Dad. I really like him! He's always been so good to me, since the very moment we met." She stepped back and blushed, having said more than she intended about the crush on her friend. Roland chuckled and shook his head _. Fighting for someone's honor, falling in love... These children are really growing up._ He thought to himself.

As soon as Sofia was excused, she rushed back to the tower, longing to spend more time with her best friend. Feeling much better after her talk with her father, she walked right in without knocking this time. Cedric was hunched over a book at his desk, staring unmoving at the page in front of him. She tiptoed towards him and peeked over his shoulder.

"My amulet?" Sofia asked, surprised. She hadn't seen Cedric reading about her necklace in what felt like forever. He shut the book quickly, jumping in his seat. He'd been so focused on the page that he hadn't heard her come in.

"How many times must I remind you to knock, child?" He demanded, trying to hide his surprise.

"Mr Ceedric, you're a genius!" She stated enthusiastically. She began to pace the stone floor, as she'd seen her friend do so often. He was about to say something to her but it was quickly forgotten when her next words came.

"I'm cursed!" She stated firmly. He stared at her in disbelief.

"My amulet must have cursed me for something. That's why this is happening. You figured it out, Mr Ceedric! Now we just need to figure out what awful thing I did and-" Cedric couldn't bear to listen to that train of thought any longer. When she paced by him, he grabbed the girl and pulled her into his lap.

"Look at me, Sofia. Look right into my eyes." She met his gaze with her wide blue eyes, focusing intently.

"You are not cursed. You did nothing to deserve this. It is not your fault." He told her firmly, gripping the sides of her face to make sure she didn't turn away. He tried to think of the words he might have longed for someone to tell him when he was a child, not currently caring if he let on about knowing more of what was happening than she thought he did.

"There is nothing you could ever do to deserve this. I want you to put that idea out of your head right now, and promise to never entertain it again." He continued, unsure if his words were getting through or not. Would he have believed he wasn't to blame when he was the child going through it? _Probably not, but I'm not Sofia._ He told himself.

After Sofia promised that she believed him, he managed to look sufficiently annoyed and shooed her off of his lap.

"I suppose we should get on with your lessons." He muttered, trying to think of something to assign her, since she clearly didn't want to leave yet, and he didn't particularly mind if she stayed. He settled on an easy potion, they'd been focusing heavily on wand magic lately, and it was a good time to brush up on her brewing skills. She settled in at the work table while he went to gather supplies. Bringing them back, he ran her through the directions and left the book open to the proper page, then returned to his desk to work.

Several minutes later, Cedric heard Sofia gasp and turned just in time to see a puff of smoke dissipate from the table she was seated at.

"Mr Ceedric, you have a letter." Sofia told him, lifting the paper to hand it to him. He grabbed the paper from her outstretched hand, his eyes scanned the text and he mouthed the words as he read. He looked at Sofia, a mixture of surprise and relief flooding him.

"What does it say?" Sofia bubbled, bouncing in her seat. The unfamiliar expression on her friend's face had her intrigued.

"I need to talk to your father." He mumbled absently. She was desperate to know what the letter said, now. _Why would he need to speak to dad about it?_ She wondered. Cedric glanced over at the cauldron.

"Sofia, mind the potion. In five minutes it needs stirred clockwise twice. I should be back before you need to remove it from heat, but you know the spell to put out the fire if I'm not, right?" She could barely finish nodding before he bolted for the door.

Sofia sat up straight in her chair, glancing around in bewilderment. The sorcerer had never left her alone in his tower before. Come to think of it, he'd never left her to finish a potion unattended, either. She suddenly felt very mature, relishing in his trust, even if it was only given because he was distracted.

Cedric made a beeline for the throne room, not wanting to waste a moment on greeting the guards and servants he passed on his way. Baileywick attempted to intercept him, but he pushed right past the steward, barely noticing his presence.

He'd been trying to find a way to keep Sofia out of harm's way while Dax was suspended, and the solution had literally appeared out of thin air. _Thank you, Mummy, you have no idea the great favor you've just done Sofia!_ He thought with a grin. He reached King Roland nearly breathless, but too intent on his mission to care.

"I need the Princess to be excused from school tomorrow, Your Highness." He spoke before the king even acknowledged his presence, no idea where the burst of confidence came from. He finally faltered when he saw the king's eyes studying him sternly.

"Cedric, you know we take the childrens' educations very seriously. What could be so important that she should miss school?" Cedric tried to find the words, holding the announcement up lamely.

"There's a m-magic tournament, Sire... Sorcerers and their apprentices will be competing. She's shown such talent, and... I'm sure she would be thrilled to participate." Cedric managed to stammer out, purposely avoiding the king's scowling face.

"I appreciate that you believe Sofia has potential, but you need to remember that she is a princess, not a sorceress. I'm sorry, Cedric, but my answer is no." The king replied. Cedric wanted to argue. This was his chance to keep Sofia safe, and she would be doing something she loved. And if by some miracle they won, he would have an even better chance to protect her. _No use thinking about that, now. We won't even get the chance to compete._ He opened his mouth to retort, then shut it and turned to exit the room in defeat.

As his eyes moved toward the door, he saw the queen standing in his way, her arms folded, her expression filled with fire. He gulped before he realized that he wasn't the target of her heated gaze.

"Rollie! You promised when Sofia started her apprenticeship that you would support her efforts!" Miranda snapped at her husband. Cedric hazarded a glance over his shoulder, not expecting to see the king's flustered appearance. Apparently, he hadn't heard his wife walk in, either.

"Bu-but Miranda. How can you expect me to indulge this foolishness on a school day? If it were a weekend, perhaps..." King Roland tried to reason with the queen, but she cut him off. Cedric badly wanted to argue that magic was not foolishness, but thought better of it.

"Honestly, it's just one day! Royal Prep will still be standing on Monday." She moved her hands to her hips, almost daring her husband to argue. Her voice softened as she addressed Cedric.

"What does Sofia want to do?" She asked him. Cedric didn't like many people, but the queen had never been unkind to him, and he found her quite tolerable. He didn't fluster as much on the rare occasion he had need to address her.

"I thought it best to get permission before asking her, your highness." He informed her. She nodded thoughtfully, reassuring Cedric that he'd been right.

"You go back and ask her, and we will support her decision. No one ever suffered terribly from missing a single day of school." She told him. He bowed curtly before shuffling past her.

As the queen approached her throne, Cedric could hear the royal couple exchanging words behind him, but he'd seen Miranda stand up to Roland enough times in the past to know that the decision was final.

 _And if Sofia and I win..._ He finally allowed himself to consider the possibility.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** Cute little chapter to finish out the day and wrap up some loose ends. So excited to be coming up on the next few updates, because they're some of my favorite so far, and it's killing me to wait on posting them, lol.

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Cedric drummed his slender fingers on the table as Sofia read the flyer announcing the magic tournament. He had returned from the throne room pleased to see that Sofia managed tending to his potion just fine, and they were now enjoying their tea and some strawberry biscuits Cedric had conjured.

"Mom really said I can go?" The girl asked him hesitantly. He nodded, sipping his tea to wash down the bite of pastry in his mouth. She read the paper again, excitement brewing in her features.

"Of course I want to do it! Do you really think I'm ready, though?" Her eyes went wide at the thought of competing against apprentices who came from magical families. _Can I actually hope to compare?_ She wondered anxiously.

"I wouldn't suggest it if I wasn't sure. Besides, you have the best teacher in the kingdom." He stated, letting his ego flare a little, more because he knew she liked it when he was confident than because he actually felt that way. Sofia finally set the paper down on his table, reaching for a biscuit. She munched on it happily as Cedric finished his tea.

"I don't know how I'll be able to sleep tonight!" She announced, talking with her mouth full despite knowing it was bad manners. Cedric laughed, looking her over.

In that moment, she wasn't Princess Sofia, instead, she was merely his apprentice, looking forward to her first competition. It was a rite of passage, to be sure. An introduction to the magical community not unlike the debutant ball she would someday be thrown. He knew with everything in him that she was ready for this. That despite all of his bumbling, he had done this one thing right. A feeling he wasn't really familiar with filled him, and he realized with a start that it was pride. He was proud of this girl. Proud of both of them, actually. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"We should practice." He announced. Sofia grinned and nodded, licking the crumbs off of her fingers before downing the last bit of tea from her cup. Once he retrieved their wands, they went to work, practicing all of the spells he suspected they might need. They were so engrossed that they didn't notice Baileywick's knock.

Cedric stood behind Sofia, his hands over hers, guiding her through the motions of a somewhat difficult ice spell for her level.

The grey-haired man came through the door just as the princess circled her wand in the direction of the tower's entrance.

" **Freezium!** " Sofia incanted cheerfully as the steward took his first steps into the workshop.

"Prince-" Baileywick started, but he didn't get any further than that. Ice spread over his body from head to toe. Cedric instinctively jumped away from Sofia, cursing himself for standing with her so casually. Sofia dropped her wand in shock, and both of them raced across the room to keep a now frozen Baileywick steady as he threatened to tip. Once the older man was stabilized, Cedric lifted his arms to the side before moving his wand arm toward the older man and quickly flicking his wrist downward.

" **Defrosto!** " He commanded, the ice glowing purple and slowly sloughing away from Baileywick's body.

"...ess..." He finished, glancing around him in surprise, his brain trying to puzzle out what just happened. Cedric hid a sneer behind his fist. _Don't laugh._ He willed himself. Once he was sure he could keep his composure, he spoke up.

"I've told you not to sneak up on a sorcerer. Or in this case, a sorcerer's apprentice." He scolded, shrugging at Baileywick's bewilderment. The steward composed himself quickly, looking back and forth between the two magic users. He might have suspected Cedric of freezing him on purpose, but he didn't think Sofia would do such a thing, so he let the matter drop.

"Yes, well... I'll make a note of it in the future. Princess Sofia, it's time for dinner." He announced.

"Thank you, Baileywick. I'll be right down." She replied, moving to gather her things. Baileywick studied them again before turning hesitantly to leave. He was supposed to be in the dining room overseeing the servants bringing out the royal family's meal, and he was a firm believer in being where one was supposed to be. Once the door closed behind him, Cedric and Sofia broke out into a fit of laughter, quietly, at first, so as not to be overheard, but soon the volume couldn't be controlled, and Cedric's tower echoed with the sound.

Cedric was bent over, doing his best to compose himself, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. Suddenly, Sofia threw her arms around his neck. She'd never seen her friend laugh like that before, and she really enjoyed seeing him so happy. He allowed her a moment, then gently reached up and loosened her grip, pulling himself up to his full height.

"Still think you're not ready?" He asked the princess. She shook her head, feeling fairly confident in her abilities, now.

"I'm glad. Get a good night's sleep. We leave early in the morning." Cedric told her, ushering Sofia to the door.

"How come Sofia has to miss school, too? Our class was supposed to ride to the party in groups." Amber whinged over dinner. James silently pushed his food around his plate, still sulking over being forced to miss his best friend's birthday celebration. Sofia poked at her food, taking small nibbles every so often, still rather full from Cedric's strawberry biscuits.

"Now, Amber, we already explained it to you. This is a big deal for Sofia, and Cedric will bring her to the party after the competition is over." Miranda gently reminded her oldest daughter, having already gone over it three times. Roland grumbled something inaudible about how he thought she should be in school, too, but one look from Miranda ended his comments. The rest of dinner consisted of everyone except for James making small talk before the dishes were cleared.

Despite her claims of being too excited to sleep, Sofia, having had a very long day, and expending more magic than she was accustomed to while practicing with Cedric, fell fast asleep almost immediately.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** I spent far too many chapters on the contest, just because I was really enjoying Cedric and Sofia having a day out, lol. Anyways, I was planning on doing a bonus chapter at 5,000 views, which actually happened like a week or two ago, but I was still playing around with my story schedule at the time and didn't want to add to the craziness. So I'm uploading it now.

* * *

The knock awoke Sofia, making her nearly forget the details of the pleasant dream she'd been having. She closed her eyes and tried to bring it back. Something about a tea party with Clover and Dax... She reminded herself, snuggling back into her oversized pillows. Just as she was almost back in the clearing eating berries with her friends and enjoying a magic show together, the knock came again, louder this time.

Sofia pried one eyelid open and looked through the window. The sky was a dark, inky blue, streaked with the first hints of pink. She wondered who on earth would wake her before the sun had even risen. Maybe she'd dreamed the knocking, too.

The princess pulled the covers over her head and curled into a comfortable ball on her windowseat-turned-bed, determined to get at least five more minutes. Soon, words were coming from the direction of her bedroom door, but they were too muffled, and she too sleepy, to hear them.

On the other side of the door, Cedric groaned. They needed to be leaving shortly, but Sofia wasn't answering him. He shifted his eyes around the hallway, for once actually hoping to find someone there. All of the servants were still fast asleep, and he knew they would be for at least another half hour. There were guards closer to the front of the palace, but they wouldn't be any help in this situation.

What the devil was her chambermaid's name again? Vivien? He'd asked Baileywick to make sure the servant was aware of their early morning plans, and had expected her to be here to wake Sofia.

"Princess, wake up. We really need to be going." He tried in vain, but was met with no response. Another groan, and another check of the hall, this time to make sure no one would see what he was about to do. _If the king got word of this, he'd have my head. There's nothing to do for it now, though._ He pushed open the door and rushed in, closing the heavy wooden door behind him. Once his safety was assured, he leaned against the wall and let out a sigh of relief, dropping his tan satchel to the floor beside his feet.

"Sofia?" He hissed quietly. Still no answer. He gathered his courage and marched towards the large canopy bed in the middle of the semi-darkened room. Pulling the blanket partway back, he was alarmed to find no one tucked in underneath. For a moment, his mind raced in all sorts of dreadful directions, convinced that the little princess was in some sort of danger. _And if I have to alert the guards and admit to having been in her room, I'll be in grave danger, too_. _Roland will probably even blame me for his missing daughter._

"Of course, Clover... *mumble* carrots..." A tiny sleeping voice rescued him from his rising fears. His eyes swept the room and landed on the small bundle of blankets and pillows on Sofia's window seat. The corners of his mouth ticked up into a hint of a smile. _Does she always sleep like that?_ He wondered. Somehow, it was exactly like her to shun the fineries of the room and sleep curled up on a small mat. Much like skipping princess school to preform magic. He mused. _She's such a simple girl. It's what makes her so much more tolerable than the other royals._

He shook himself from his fond thoughts, remembering that they were in a hurry. He approached the window seat, intending to wake her quickly and get on with the morning.

A patch of disheveled curls poking out from under the covers distracted him, and he stroked them gingerly, having become so familiar with the silky locks lately that the motion came from pure muscle memory. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the blanket slowly slipping down or the large sapphire eyes peeking up at him until the girl spoke.

"It's time to go, isn't it?" She asked him quietly. He nodded, and she shifted over to make room for him. He briefly thought better of it, but sat down anyways. Sofia snuggled up against him and sighed.

"I was having such a nice dream, Mr Ceedric." She protested.

"Want to tell me about it?" He kept his voice barely above a whisper, as if being louder would break the spell and they would have to go back to being a princess and her royal sorcerer instead of close friends. Sofia rolled so that she could watch the sunrise, and Cedric glanced over his shoulder to watch it with her.

Enough time had passed that he thought she wouldn't answer. His hurry was mostly forgotten and he was simply enjoying the brilliant hues streaking across the horizon.

"I was having a picnic with Clover and..." She paused, remembering the argument that had happened the first time she'd spoken to him about Dax.

"And a prince friend of mine. Clover was hogging all the carrots, but no one minded. You were conjuring purple and silver fireworks for us. They were the most Ah-mazing thing I've ever seen!" She finished. Cedric scoffed. Sofia had seen him conjure fireworks roughly a dozen times, and he had trouble believing that trick was really so impressive to the girl anymore.

"Maybe I'll teach you how to make them someday." He finally muttered.

"Do you mean it?" She was sitting up, now, looking eagerly at him, those large blue eyes gazing at him in adoration. He turned his attention back to the window and cleared his throat.

"When you're older." He told her. Sofia stood, and the peaceful atmosphere was broken, Cedric hurrying to cover his eyes.

"Sofia! You can't just walk around like... like that... in front of me!" The young girl blinked at him in confusion. She had crossed the room and was now standing in front of her closet, ready to exchange her bright blue nightgown for the dress she would wear today. Violet was always with her when she changed, so she was quite accustomed to the routine. Suddenly, she felt as though she'd done something wrong, but she wasn't really sure what it was.

"Why not?" She asked innocently, wanting to know just what it was that her friend was so put off by. His hands remained plastered to his face. Cedric tried to think of a way to explain the reason delicately, but he couldn't find one.

"I always change in front of Violet." Sofia explained. Cedric sighed and shook his head, eyes still safely covered.

"Violet is a woman. A man shouldn't see you in your bedclothes." He willed her not to ask follow-up questions, but knew her too well to believe she wouldn't.

"What's the difference? She asked. He said nothing.

"I've seen you." She pointed out.

"That's different." He stated firmly, although he couldn't help but wonder if maybe that was a problem, too. It wasn't the first time the thought had crossed his mind that he should really be up and dressed when she arrived in the mornings. He'd never been much of a morning person, though, so laziness had won out so far.

"Just for once, do as I say without a million questions. Get back under the covers, child." She frowned at her friend, but returned to the window and slid back under the blanket. When he felt her weight on the window seat cushion again, he let his hands fall and looked around the room for a safe place to wait.

"Thank you. I'll go in the washroom while you dress." He told her gently, standing to exit the room, collecting his satchel on his way. Sofia waited until the door closed behind him to roll her eyes at his reaction. She returned to her closet and picked her simplest dress, aware that she'd have to put it on by herself. She struggled with it valiantly for a while before she gave a huff and made her way to knock on the bathroom door.

"Are you dressed?" Came the sorcerer's impatient response.

"Yes, but... I can't do these clasps and laces by myself. Violet always does them for me." She stepped back as the door opened and Cedric peeked out. Assuring himself that she was sufficiently clothed, he motioned for the princess to turn around.

"Honestly, you're much too old to be unable to dress yourself, Sofia." He scolded her, fastening the long trail of clasps. He took the lilac laces into his hands and beginning to fumble with them. After a minute he had to concede that this was much harder than he thought it would be.

"There. It's not fancy, but it will work. If you're going to continue as my apprentice, we'll have to get you something more appropriate to wear from now on." He stated, giving the ribbon one last tug before producing his wand from his robe. She smiled at the idea of getting her own apprentice outfit to wear under her purple robe, and nodded her approval.

"We're too late to go by coach now. Do you think you're up to transportation?" Her eyes went wide in anticipation.

"Really? I've always wanted to do that!" Sofia told him enthusiastically. He shifted his satchel on his shoulder and took her hand to guarantee they wouldn't be separated before using his signature teleportation spell on them.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I have a wicked love for making Cedric feel awkward, don't know why, it's just fun. And Sofia is constantly acting like she has no concept of stranger danger or boundaries in the show, so I figured this was totally within the realm of could happen. Plus, anyone who's ever dealt with kids this age knows they legit have no shame.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note** : I'm currently busy packing everything I own, so some of my stories aren't getting updated for the next week or two, but I have 11 unpublished chapters for this story, so fans of this story don't need to worry about delays. As always, love all the reviews and support from you guys! It really makes my day when the notifications hit my inbox.

* * *

They landed inside a cloud of lime green smoke, and Cedric reached out to steady Sofia as she acclimated to being solid matter again. She gave him a small appreciative smile as her legs began to work on their own.

"Are you alright? The first time can be a tad... overwhelming." He checked on her, remembering how awful he'd felt after he had used the spell as a boy. Sofia smoothed the skirt of her dress and blinked down at herself.

"I think so. My stomach feels funny..." She replied, placing her hands on the bodice of her dress.

"You get used to it. Let's find you something to eat." He offered her his hand, not wanting to lose her in what he knew would be a large crowd. As he turned his attention away from the princess, he found himself locked in a staring contest with the disapproving eyes of his father.

"Honestly, Cedric. What were you thinking transporting such a young child? You could have made her ill!" Goodwyn admonished his son. He'd been coming to check the carriage line for them again, only to spot Cedric's signature smoke out of the corner of his eye.

"She's fine. I'll bet she's more proficient at magic than the renowned Goodwyn the Great was at her age." Cedric retorted, knowingly challenging his father's pride while praising his apprentice's abilities.

"Impossible. Being able to use a little magic is all well and good, but it's not the same as being born into it." Goodwyn said.

Cedric's blood boiled, knowing that Sofia was already doubting her ability to contend against inborn magic. He opened his mouth to argue with his father, but the grip around his hand tightened, switching his attention to the girl who was holding it.

"Mr Ceedric, you said we could get some food." She reminded him, her voice small and her eyes adverted from the men. Cedric's face softened and he nodded, leading her towards the delicious smelling booths that formed the perimiter of the grounds. Behind them, he could hear Goodwyn trying to goad him back into the argument, but it didn't seem to matter right now.

"Sofia, have you ever had magical ice cream?" Cedric asked the princess, his eyes falling on a wooden booth near the edge of the row of crudely built structures. She shook her head no, and he brightened.

"Well, you are in for quite the treat! It's like regular ice cream, but the flavors are far more interesting." He announced, leading the way to the ice cream stand.

They stood reading the flavors available for a while, Sofia asking him what certain exotic ingredients were as she tried to choose. Finally, he waved the clerk over. She was attractive, in her mid-twenties, with long black hair and narrow green eyes.

"Hi, I'm Heather. What can I get for you?" She bubbled at the pair.

"I'll take a scoop of Saffron Cardamom." Cedric told her briskly.

"May I have the Earl Grey Lavender, please?" Sofia asked politely. The clerk smiled kindly at her, impressed with the young girl's manners.

"You sure can, sweety." Heather answered her.

"That will be 3 shillings." She informed Cedric. He let go of Sofia's hand to open his satchel and fumble with the bag of coins he had brought. A small tug at his robe brought his attention back to Sofia.

"Can I do it?" She asked quietly. He handed her the coins and she bounced happily as she returned to pay Heather.

As he watched Sofia fondly, thinking again about how being a normal child seemed to suit her better than the trappings of royalty, the raven-haired clerk leaned over the counter and whispered something he couldn't hear into the little girl's ear. Sofia burst into giggles, nearly dropping their frozen treats.

"He is, isn't he?" Sofia replied to the girl before bounding cheerily back to Cedric. He took his ice cream from her and she turned and gave a wave to Heather before accepting his outstretched hand.

They made their way through their crowd, somehow managing to keep their snacks intact. Sofia spotted the picnic tables first, and they hurried to sit down and eat before their treats melted.

"What did she whisper to you?" Cedric asked, settling himself onto the bench next to Sofia.

"That my daddy is very handsome." Sofia relayed the clerk's comment nonchalantly, gingerly poking her tongue out to take her first taste of the ice cream. Cedric nearly toppled his frozen snack, and scowled in the general direction of the ice cream booth.

"Why didn't you correct her?" He asked, his gaze turning back to the princess in time to see her eyes light up in wonder at her first taste. When she recovered from the surprise, she shrugged at his question.

"She was half right. I figured the details didn't matter." Came her answer, right before she tucked into the ice cream. Cedric began to eat his own, enjoying the creamy texture and the coolness of it against the rising heat of the day.

"It's so good!" Sofia exclaimed between bites, and Cedric had to laugh at the sight of her, light purple ice cream on her mouth, the tip of her nose, and, somehow, her left cheek. He reached out and wiped it away with the sleeve of his robe, and she giggled as the fabric tickled her cheek.

"How do they keep it so cold on a sunny day like this?" She inquired, her eyes sparkling as she went in for another bite.

"Magic, of course." Cedric explained simply.

"Like that time you froze everybody at Mystic Meadows?" He winced a bit at being reminded about one of his many mishaps, but he was having a good time, so he recovered quickly.

"Or how you froze Baileywick yesterday." He countered, and they both laughed at the memory.

"I've never seen Baileywick flustered before." She told him, taking another big bite of her tea-and-flower flavored ice cream. Cedric took the last few bites of his before rubbing his chilled hands against his trousers.

"I have. He used to get riled up all the time when I was a child. I guess I wasn't very good at being where I was supposed to be." He confided. _Which meant anywhere Baileywick didn't have to look at me._ He thought bitterly. The memories weren't particularly pleasant, so he didn't elaborate, and he was glad the princess was too busy eating to press him for details. She liked Baileywick, and he wouldn't want to spoil that for her, but he also wasn't really willing to lie about how cruel the older man could be if you weren't perfect enough to stay in his good graces.

Sofia finished her ice cream, licking a stray glob off of the palm of her hand in a very undignified manner.

"Is your stomach better?" Cedric inquired.

"Much better." She told him with a grin. She took his hand again, and they made their way back into the crowd.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** Told you guys I kind of dragged this out just because it was so much fun writing about their day together, lol. I promise, we're getting to the contest... I thought about doubling up these chapters to get there faster, but I really don't want a chunk of 2k+ word chapters in the middle of the story...

By the way, researching currency for period pieces... Worst part of writing these. Ow, my head! I much prefer digging up slang words, odd phrases, clothing, armor, medical stuff... Literally ANYTHING but their weird money.

* * *

"In the village, they have a public bath where everyone goes in together. Mom and I used to go all the time." Sofia pointed out.

They had been walking the grounds, trying to take in everything there was to see of the festival. The tournament wasn't set to begin for almost another hour, and she had been pestering him with questions about his curious reaction in her chambers earlier. He shook his head, wondering if the tenacious girl was ever going to give up her interrogation.

"But the men went into a different bath, didn't they?" He countered. When she paused to consider this, he briefly allowed himself to believe he had won.

"But, _why_?!" She pressed, curious eyes turned up at the sorcerer. Cedric groaned in defeat.

"It's just different for men and women, Sofia. It really isn't my place to explain it to you." She pouted up at him, but seemed to accept that he wasn't going to give in. For now, at least.

Her pace had slowed as they walked the large grounds, and he was beginning to wonder if they could make it back to the platform in time.

"We need to walk quicker, Sofia." He prodded, trying to increase their speed.

"My legs are tired, and they still feel a bit odd from the spell." She explained. He sighed and looked her over before darting his eyes to the direction of the stage, still well out of view. They needed to get registered and listen to the instructions for the competition before things got underway.

"You could carry me again." She offered, and Cedric began to suspect she might be manipulating him. He shook his head.

"Sofia, we talked about that. It isn't prop-"

"No one here even knows I'm a princess. At three different shops you've been mistaken for my dad." She protested, cutting his lecture off before it had even really begun.

"Don't remind me." Cedric sulked. He studied the girl. Her eyes were pleading, her mouth fixed in a slight pout. With a sigh, he gave in, beginning to admit to himself just how badly he was wrapped around the young princess's finger. He dropped down to a squat.

"Get on my back." She gave him a wide grin before climbing on, wrapping her arms around his neck. He held her legs and stood, heading to the direction of the stage. He reflected for a moment on his failed attempt to carry her as Dax, she'd seemed so heavy then. He wasn't a particularly strong man, but it was practically effortless to lift her in his normal form.

"Mom and Dad share a room. They must have seen each other in their pajamas thousands of times." She pointed out.

"Sofia, one more word about it, and I'll put you right back down." He warned the girl. She let out a huff and leaned against him.

"Okay, okay." She conceded. They chatted about other things as they went, mostly Sofia's excitement about the contest.

"Will I really never be as good at magic as sorcerers' children." She asked quietly, confiding her secret fear to her good friend. She loved magic, maybe more than any of her other interests, and it bothered her to think that she couldn't help but be less than.

"Among his numerous other talents, Goodwyn is an expert at underestimating the magical abilities of children." Cedric told her gruffly, cursing his father for making her feel inadequate, as he had done to Cedric all his life.

"No one lives up to his standards. Not even himself, if truth be told. I've seen you do magic that would give accomplished sorcerers pause. Don't waste your efforts trying to impress that old grouch." He wished he could see her face, but he thought he felt her body relax, so he considered that good enough. Her arms tightened into a hug around his neck.

"You really are my best friend, Mr Ceedric. You're the greatest!" She told him appreciatively.

"You're cutting off my air, Sofia." He said, avoiding the compliment. Sofia giggled at his clearly feigned complaint, but loosened her grip all the same. They were beginning to come upon another set of booths when he heard her gasp.

"Look, Mr Ceedric!" One of her arms came into view, and he followed her outstretched finger to the booth nearest them on the left.

"A clothier?" He asked, confusion in his voice. He knew Sofia had a million gowns, but she never seemed to care all that much about fashion, so he wasn't sure why she was so excited.

"You said I needed a sorcery dress." She reminded him, and he vaguely remembered that he had. He ran his eyes across the clothing displayed along the back wall. It was much simpler than the outfits she owned, and would be more suited to an apprentice sorceress. He strolled over to the booth, only to find a very familiar looking shopkeep.

"Hi, I'm Poppy. What can I do for you folks?" She asked them.

"Do you know a lady named Heather?" Sofia inquired from her perch on Cedric's back. The woman nodded.

"That's one of my sisters. How did you know?" She asked Sofia, as if the answer wasn't obvious.

"You look so much alike!" Sofia explained.

"We need a dress." Cedric informed the woman promptly, knowing all too well that Sofia might spend the entire day befriending Poppy and her sisters if he didn't hurry things along.

"Okay, did you have anything specific in mind?" She asked him, gesturing toward a rack of dresses near her.

"Sturdy, but still pretty, and simple enough that she can dress herself. No laces, straps, or other such nonsense."

"And purple, please. It's my favorite color." Sofia added. Poppy bit her lip thoughtfully, thumbing through her stock to find a suitable garment. Sofia swung her legs as they waited.

"Do you know the size?" She asked. Cedric floundered. The princess was smaller than her sister, but he didn't know beyond that. Sofia wiggled against Cedric's back, and he stooped to let her down.

"Well, aren't you a little dolly?" Poppy asked sweetly as she admired the girl. She turned back to her task, Sofia blushing at her praise.

"A-ha! I have just the one. It's not the same purple, more of a plum, but it should do nicely" Poppy declared, procuring a garment from the middle of the rack and holding it up for their approval. It was a peasant dress, in a purple almost identical to Cedric's robe. There were laces in the front, but they were clearly decorative instead of functional.

"It's perfect!" Sofia cried.

"2 crowns." Poppy informed them. Cedric bent over the counter, brought his change bag out of his satchel again, and began to retrieve the coins. Sofia stood on her tiptoes and leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

"I need a slip." She told him shyly.

"You mean you're not..." He asked incredulously, his eyes as wide as saucers. The girl shook her head before he could finish his question. Turning bright red, he rose to address the shopkeeper again.

"Do you have any sl... S-Slips?" He stammered out, ignoring Poppy's amused expression.

"For another crown." She answered. Cedric nervously fumbled with the coins. Without a thought, he placed them in Sofia's hand, knowing she would enjoy paying for the dress herself. She proudly handed the coins to Poppy, who gave her the garments in exchange.

"Is there somewhere she can change?" Cedric asked, figuring she may as well wear her new dress on stage. Poppy looked around, not really sure of the answer.

"I could move the rack against the wall, and she could use it like a screen. She's so little, no one would see her." She offered. Cedric frowned and was about to reject the idea, but Sofia happily accepted before he had a chance. Poppy opened the door on the side of the booth and led Sofia in.

"Don't worry, no one will see your little girl back here." She reassured Cedric, pulling the rack lengthwise across the shop. He could hear Sofia suppressing her laughter behind the clothing rack. _Four shops_. He mentally updated the tally in annoyance. Cedric grumbled about Poppy's comment, but sighed and turned to keep watch of the people passing by.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:** I have been waiting so long to post this chapter, because I have another story ready to publish, but it would have spoiled something from this, so I had to wait and it felt like FOREVER!

Edit: Just realized today is Thursday. Oops. Posted this right away when I woke up, and I apparently had my days mixed up. :P

* * *

"How do I look?" Sofia asked, exiting the Clothier booth and giving a twirl to show off her new dress. Cedric studied her closely. He'd never seen her dressed as a regular village child, having only known her after she became a princess, and he had to admit that she looked fantastic. The dress was lovely on it's own merit, and of course, he fancied the color, but it was simple enough to let her features stand out, instead of competing with them for attention.

"You look wonderful, Sofia." He told her honestly. Poppy had escorted her out and was standing behind her.

"Just one thing..." The woman said, reaching out to touch Sofia's curls. She quickly split the top half from the bottom, pulling it up into a rubber band. With nimble hands she worked the hair until it was a nice, simple plait, which she let drop over the loose tendrils beneath it. Cedric had to admit the effect was very nice.

"Now I look perfect!" Sofia chimed happily, turning to give Poppy a grateful hug.

"Yes, yes. We really must be going now." Cedric insisted, taking the garment bag that held Sofia's usual clothes from its spot on the counter.

"Wait!" Poppy called. She ducked back into the booth and found a quill and some parchment and began to scribble something. She blew on the ink before handing it to Cedric.

"I have a daughter that's only a little older than yours. We should arrange a play date sometime." She smiled as his fingers closed around her written information. Not sure how to respond, Cedric cleared his throat.

"Yes, well..." Was all he could come up with as he stuffed the paper into his bag before turning to head towards the sign-in station. Sofia made no move to follow him, and with a groan, he leaned back down so she could climb onto his back again. She waved to Poppy until the booth disappeared from view.

"She was really nice." Her voice bubbled in Cedric's ear.

"Too nice." He replied, unwilling to fully admit that he was having a great time so far.

"Do you really like my dress, Mr Ceedric?" Sofia asked, resting against him.

"It's perfect." He told her, his voice softening.

"It's the wrong color." She pointed out.

"It's my color." He answered, then paled.

"That is to say, I rather like that color. And the darker purple compliments your skin tone, anyways." She tightened her arms into another affectionate squeeze. A few more paces and they were finally at the sign-in station.

"Oh, Ceddykins, there you are!" Winifred called happily, rushing over to meet the pair. Cedric glanced around nervously.

"Father isn't here, is he?" He asked, bending down to set a reluctant Sofia back on her feet. He offered her his hand as consolation, even though he knew Goodwyn would disapprove of that almost as much.

"No, I believe he went to get some lunch before the contest starts." She informed her son before turning her attention to Sofia.

"Aren't you as pretty as a painting, dear?" She fawned over the girl. Sofia grinned and used her free hand to lift the skirt slightly, giving Cedric's mother a small curtsy.

"Hello, Ms Winifred." She greeted the older woman.

"How are you enjoying the festival so far?" Cedric's mother asked the princess.

"It's wonderful! We had ice cream, Mr Ceedric bought me this dress, and we met the nicest people. One woman even wants me to come to visit and play with her daughter some time!" Sofia was positively bursting with excitement, and the main event wasn't even underway, yet. She glanced about them and leaned in, as if imparting an important secret to the sorceress.

"And everyone keeps mistaking me for your grandchild." She said, voice only slightly above a whisper. Cedric rolled his eyes. _Did she really have to tell Mummy that part?_ He wondered. Winifred gave a snort and reached out to hug the child.

"Ceddy should be so lucky." She stated good-naturedly.

"Now go on, get yourselves signed up before the list is full." She gestured impatiently towards a small line in front of a podium where an old sorcerer was taking names.

They hurried over and found their place in line, Sofia shifting about nervously as their turn grew closer. Cedric gave her hand a reassuring squeeze when they were next.

"Names?" The elder sorcerer's deep voice demanded.

"Cedric the Sensational and Pr..." Sofia tugged at his hand and shook her head 'no', and he realized that all this time, she had been feeling the same way he had, enjoying a day of just being herself with no title or rules. He nodded that he understood, and addressed the man again.

"And Sofia the Sweet." He finished. Her hand left his and she threw her arms around his waist. He acknowledged the hug by patting her lightly on the head.

"Apprentices aren't announced with titles." The man reminded him impatiently, scrawling their names on his ledger. Cedric merely shrugged. The man frowned down at Sofia.

"Isn't your apprentice a little young for this?" He asked. Cedric glanced around, just now realizing that almost all of the other apprentices were nearing or well into their teenage years. He stood at his full height and met the man's gaze.

"Just wait until you see what she can do." He told him, the pride in his voice sincere. The man turned back to his list, absently waving them backstage. Cedric draped a protective arm around Sofia, worried that the sorcerer's words might have unnerved her, and led her back.

Sure enough, the backstage area was full of preteens, teens, and adults, most likely all from magical lineages. Cedric tried his best to distract Sofia from this fact, mentally scolding himself for not taking her age into account when he decided to go through with this. He led her over to an empty bench, and took his wand case out of his satchel.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note:** I debated on not posting this chapter and skipping straight to the next one, but there are some parts I just love sooo much. That and I feel like this is a story that really thrives on its fluff, and that's 100% what this chapter is.

* * *

They were given some time to rehearse before they went on, provided that the magic not interfere with the pair onstage. Cedric had them practicing small spells to start, which let them talk without breaking their concentration too much.

"Do you think your parents have?" Sofia asked.

"Have what?" He asked absently, watching her form to give her any last minute pointers she might need.

"Seen each other's pajamas. I imagine they must've." She answered as if he should have known what she meant. He rolled his eyes and made a face of mostly mock disgust.

"Sofia, I thought we were done with this." He reminded her.

"No, you said you would put me down if I said anymore. Now I am down, so I'm free to continue." She explained the loop-hole she'd found to her friend with a mischievous grin. Cedric pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and sighed.

"Married couples don't count. The rules are different for them." He told her, hoping that would finally be the end of it. She chewed her lip, considering this new bit of information.

"I learned a rain spell yesterday. Maybe we should do that?" She inquired. He shot her a pointed look and answered quickly.

"No!" He spat out too sharply. She frowned at him, and his shoulders slumped.

"Let's just... stick to what we've practiced." He tried to explain away his reaction. He set a wooden chair in front of her and quickly moved out of her way. She nodded and steadied herself, easily covering the chair with flowers.

"I'll bet Amber and James have seen each other dressed for bed lots of times." Sofia attempted again, still not willing to let the topic drop.

"You are literally killing me, child." Cedric stated with all the warning tone he could muster.

"But I thought 'literally' meant..." The look he gave stopped her mid sentence.

"Sofia, in a few years, if no one has explained it to you, I will." He told her, gesturing towards the chair. She waved her wand and recited the spell to make the flowers disappear.

"But I don't want to wait that long. Why can't you just tell me now?" She pleaded.

"You're too young to know." He told her, his tone softer.

"I'm too young to know about a rule I'm expected to follow?" She prodded, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Yes!" He groaned. She pouted at him, but she sensed she had already pushed the subject as far as she could.

"Do you promise you'll tell me?" She asked, reluctant to give up unless she had his word.

"I never make promises." He said, avoiding her gaze.

"I'll bet Baileywick has-" She renewed her efforts, knowing her friend would break eventually.

"Fine, Sofia. I absolutely promise that I will tell you when you're older, provided you don't find out from some other source before then!" He threw up his hands in defeat. Sofia bounced on her toes, rushing over to hug her friend. Cedric let out a groan, begrudging how easily the princess could win against him.

"Cedric the Sensational?" A black-haired man with large green eyes approached them hurriedly.

"Yes?" Cedric asked, quirking an eyebrow at the man.

"I'm Birch. I'm one of the coordinators for the event." He reached out a hand to shake Cedric's, but when the sorcerer didn't move to return the gesture, he wiped it on his trousers nervously instead.

"Are you Poppy and Heather's brother?" Sofia asked him. He glanced down at her, just becoming aware that she was standing there.

"Yes, those are two of my sisters." He answered kindly.

"How many do you have?" She inquired.

"Four sisters and three brothers."

"So there are eight of you?" She went on with her questions. Cedric tried to shush her, aware of how busy Birch must be with trying to keep things running smoothly.

"Right, but not all of us are working here today." He answered before turning his focus back to Cedric.

"There are three sorcerers on before you. I'm supposed to inform you and ask if there's anything special you might need for your entry." Birch told Cedric. He pondered for a moment before glancing at Sofia, who just shrugged at him. Neither could think of anything they needed.

"Good. I'll be back to let you know when you're on." He turned back to Sofia and smiled.

"Good luck!" He told her before rushing off.

"Eight siblings? Isn't that fantastic, Mr Ceedric?" She gushed after the man was gone.

"One sister was more than enough for me." He grumbled.

"That's not nice. I love having a brother and sister." She scolded, remembering how different things had been when she was an only child. Sure, once or twice she had missed it, but mostly, she was happier with her large family.

"That's because they're not always stealing your things." He retorted coldly. Sofia considered this, but thought that would still be preferable to having no siblings at all.

They practiced a few more spells before Birch returned to usher them onstage.

"I'm nervous." Sofia whispered to Cedric as they approached the wings, walking behind the dark-haired man. Now that it was almost time, it was becoming too real for Sofia.

"That's natural. You'll do great, I just know it. The worst you can do is mess up, and I do that all the time. It's no big deal." Cedric reassured her. It was a lie, of course. He considered it to be a huge deal when he messed up, but he certainly wouldn't hold it against her if she did.

He could tell by her face that she didn't feel much better, so he offered her his hand while they waited for Birch to announce them.

"Sofia, you've worked very hard lately, and I know you'll do your best out there. You should be proud of yourself. I am, and I will still be proud of you no matter what happens today." He told her with absolute sincerity, recognizing that now was not the time for the usual aloofness he regarded everyone with. Sofia tightened her grip and he gave her hand an answering squeeze.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note:** Finally getting these guys on stage. This chapter was one of the most fun to write oit of the whole story! I love Cedric's showmanship when we see him preforming in the show. If his confidence was better, he'd really shine during his magic shows, I think. I was REALLY channeling how he spoke to Sofia in Substitute Cedric, too, because I just love how he guided her through things when she was nervous. Okay, I'll shut up now and get on with the chapter...

* * *

"Cedric the Sensational and his apprentice Sofia!" They heard Birch announce on stage. Taking the cue, they walked out onto the platform, hands still linked, and bowed towards the crowded stands. The audience was primed, and cheered loudly for them. Cedric scanned the crowd and found his parents, but didn't look in their direction long enough to alert his apprentice to their presence. She was nervous enough without the added pressure of Goodwyn scrutinizing their preformance.

Cedric let go of Sofia, placing his satchel on the table provided. He produced several stones from the bag and laid them out on the surface. Raising their wands, he and Sofia began to cast the first spell she had learned.

" **Mutato Rubio** " They stated in unison, quickly turning all of the stones into rubies displayed in the shape of a heart. Cedric used a magnetic spell to fasten the jewels to the table, and lightly tipped it forward so the crowd could see the results. The applause was more than generous, given the simplistic nature of the spells used, and Cedric suspected that it was due in part to his apprentice's young age.

He set the table down on all four feet and moved the rubies to his bag, replacing them with several blue and white balls.

" **Bouncecygliuas** " They both cast the spell until all of the balls were bouncing high on the table. Cedric had planned these spells to not only warm up the act, but also boost Sofia's confidence, and it seemed to be working on both counts. He nudged her forward towards the cheering crowd, and they quieted.

" **Disappearo**!" She stated loudly, and all of the balls vanished. The crowd was hers now, applauding wildly for the little girl with the courage to appear onstage as the youngest apprentice at the festival.

Without missing a beat, Cedric guided her through the next several spells, each increasingly difficult, and each met with loud approval from the spectators. Some they did together, but for others he let her take the lead.

They stood together center stage, Sofia's wand pointing up at the roof of the platform, Cedric's pointed down at the floor. In unison, they waved their wands and recited the spell.

" **Decorot Florion!** " Light and dark purple flowers began to grow along every surface of the structure, the roar of the crowd rising to near deafening volume as they spread. That was the moment Cedric knew they really had a chance. He and Sofia exchanged glances.

"It's time." He told her, strolling to the table and hopping up onto it.

"I don't know if I can do this." Sofia's small voice was almost inaudible over the cheers that were still coming.

"I do." Cedric replied before laying back onto the table, feet together and arms limply at his sides. Sofia took a deep breath, her insides a jumble of raw nerves. The audience began to quiet as she raised her arm.

" **Freezium!** " She announced, circling her wand in the direction of the table. Ice covered the entire table, running over Cedric and down the legs to the floor. There were a few gasps from the crowd, but other than that, everything was chillingly silent. Sofia took several deep breaths and pointed her wand at her mentor.

" **Defrosto.** " She said with as much courage as she could muster, painfully aware that they had practiced the counter spell less than the freezing spell, and never on a person.

After a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, crackling sounds could be heard, and the ice began to fall to the ground in thick chunks. Sofia held her breath as Cedric thawed out, not releasing it until he sat up and shook himself off, cold water splashing off of his black and white hair as he moved. The response from the crowd was thunderous. Cedric hopped off of the table and, as he had that day in the garden, scooped Sofia up and spun her around.

"You did it! You really did it!" He told her with a laugh. The crowd was shouting so loud that they could barely hear anything else. Slowly, as if instinctively knowing that the freezing spell had been the finale of their set, the random cries began to unify into a single word.

"Encore! Encore! Encore!" The audience begged, screaming loudly. Cedric put his face to Sofia's ear.

"The flower spell, Sofia. You must do it." He urged her. She shook her head nervously. Sure she'd managed to pull the spell off twice, but the other times the result had been very underwhelming. _Isn't it better to end it like this?_ She wondered.

"You can do this. Just believe in yourself and focus." Came Cedric's voice again. He threw his wand down on the the table and the crowd began to quiet. Still held securely in her friend's arms, Sofia took several deep breaths of air.

"Now, Sofia." He commanded, and her muscle memory kicked in. Holding the wand high above them, she pointed it out over the audience, and summoned everything she had in her.

" **Mohit Flora!** " Sofia shouted. Magic leapt off her wand in visible sparks, streaking out into the sky. Easily a million light purple flowers began to rain down upon an astonished crowd, cheering so loudly for Sofia now that she was sure they must be able to hear the noise all the way back at the palace. She embraced Cedric tightly, and he returned the gesture.

"That's my girl!" He said, making it a point to speak loudly enough so she could hear him over the audiences approval. He stooped down to carefully fetch his wand and bag without dropping his apprentice, then turned and carried the exhausted girl off stage, giving into the temptation to shoot a smug look at his father as he did. _You can go ahead and choke on your words, now, old man._ Cedric thought happily to himself. _Sofia the Sweet will be better at magic than Goodwyn the Great ever dreamed of being._

Backstage, he set Sofia down on the bench, making sure she was steady before conjuring her a glass of water, which she happily accepted.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note:** Was tempted to double up this chapter but I've been at the Drs and didn't find the time. (Kind of lucky I got it posted up at all.) I am considering going back and condensing things so each chapter is a day, but probably not until I finish the story...

* * *

Cedric collapsed on the bench next to Sofia, resting his arm over his eyes and finally allowing the stress of the day to catch up to him. Outside, he could faintly hear Birch trying to quiet the still roaring crowd so he could announce the next magical pairing.

Finished with her water, Sofia snuggled in against his chest. Cedric lifted his arm slightly to glance down at her before returning to his previous position. It occurred to him to push her away, but he was too exhausted, and he knew she must be even more so, being younger, and having used quite a lot more magic than he did during their routine.

 _Besides, since everyone here is so determined to believe she's my daughter, this must look perfectly ordinary._ He reasoned, throwing a comforting arm around the girl. He entertained the idea of nodding off, but found it much too loud. Instead, he merely rested comfortably.

There were several acts due to go on after them, from the looks of things, and nothing would be announced until about a half hour after the last performance, so there was nothing left to do now but wait and hope some teenager didn't manage to upstage Sofia. Cedric hardly thought it possible. He listened to the crowd as the event progressed, mentally gauging the cheering against the response they had received, and fully believed it to be lacking.

"Cedric the Sensational?" The aged voice spoke so quietly that at first Cedric wasn't sure he'd really heard it. He peeked out from under his arm again to see an old white-haired sorcerer dressed in blue robes studying him.

"Master Merlin? I didn't know you were here... Why the devil are we whispering?" He greeted the man in a voice only slightly louder than his hero's. Merlin made a motion towards them with his hand.

"It appears your young apprentice has worn herself out." He offered his quiet explanation, and Cedric glanced back down at Sofia, now fast asleep. He adjusted himself so that her head could rest more comfortably on his chest and chuckled.

"I suppose it's no surprise. She hasn't left my side all day." He muttered, more to himself than his companion.

"Yes, it's clear that she's quite fond of you." Merlin replied gently. He slowly lowered himself down onto the seat Sofia had been using to practice conjuring flowers.

"You didn't tell me why you're here, yet." Cedric ventured. He didn't recall hearing anything about Merlin taking on an apprentice, but if he had and they performed at the festival, he was fairly certain it wouldn't matter how well Sofia had done.

"You didn't know? I'm one of the judges." Merlin explained, surprised. Cedric breathed a sigh of relief.

"If you're looking for a bribe, I spent it all on that dress." Cedric joked with the elder sorcerer, gesturing his free hand at Sofia's new garment. Merlin chuckled.

"Worth every ha'penny, and be sure to tell her I said so when she wakes up. No, I'm not here on business. I came to congratulate you, my boy. When I first met Sofia, she could barely wave a wand. One could be forgiven for assuming she didn't have an ounce of magic in her. Thanks to you, she's well on her way to becoming a fine young sorceress." Cedric frowned. It was nice to finally be acknowledged for someting, and he was tempted to just accept Merlin's praise, but this was her accomplishment, not his.

"You're telling the wrong person. Sofia's the one who put in all the work. She studies magic night and day, never once complaining, always asking to be taught more." He told Merlin earnestly.

"Well, I suppose we're both over simplifying it, aren't we? Have you considered the enormous opportunity that will be presented to her should she win? There are children twice her age with half her talent occupying desks at Hexley Hall." Merlin continued. Cedric nodded, readjusting his arm in an effort to wake the sleeping limb. Sofia gave a slight sigh, but no other indication of stirring.

"That's why I brought her here, but she doesn't know, yet. I didn't want to add to the stress by telling her what was at stake." He informed Merlin. The aging sorcerer nodded and regarded them quietly for a while. He stood to leave, but stopped to place a hand on Cedric's slim shoulder as he passed.

"I've been judging this competition for much longer than I care to admit, and never have I seen such a young child walk out onto that stage, much less do what she did today. I can't promise you anything, of course." Cedric nodded that he understood nothing would be announced for a while yet, and Merlin walked away. Just as Cedric's eyes began to slip shut, another voice addressed him.

"Oh, Ceddykins that was incredible! Absolutely breathtaking!" Winifred exclaimed. Sofia murmered in her sleep, and he quickly shushed his mother. She covered her mouth and shot him an apologetic look.

"You were fantastic! And Sofia was... There aren't even words. I saw every act, and I'm absolutely sure you two have it in the bag." She continued, quieter this time.

"Yes, well, you are a tad biased, though, aren't you?" Cedric quipped, trying not to let her words raise his hopes too high. She opened her mouth to respond, but didn't get the chance.

"Cedric, I... What's all this about?" His father rounded the corner, halting when he saw Cedric and Sofia curled up on the bench.

"Apparently, my job duties now include 'royal pillow'." Cedric said, trying his best to sound annoyed at his predicament, and even forcing a bitter sounding chuckle for good effect.

"Oh, the poor little dear must be exhausted after the show she put on! Let her rest." Winifred scolded her husband.

"Yes, it was quite the display... I suppose I owe something of an apology." Goodwyn managed to admit, though it clearly pained him to do so.

"Be sure to deliver it in person. Preferably when she's awake to hear it." He spat, finding it hard to keep his voice down.

"You've done pretty well at teaching her, too, Cedric. Though I do wish you wouldn't allow her to cling to you so." Cedric rolled his eyes at Goodwyn's words. Leave it to my father to mix the slightest hint of an apology with a large amount of criticism. Sensing her son's shift in mood, Winifred placed her hand on Goodwyn's arm.

"Come on, let's leave them be. Wonderful job, Ceddy." She said, leading her husband away.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note:** Fine, double chapter... Just to get us done with the festival once and for all and on to the birthday party. Some references to movies I like in here, and yes, I realize one pair is actually witches, but we're pretending they're not for this story, and it isn't exactly relevant to the plot, anyways. :P

 **! Extremely sorry for the false notification. I accidentally deleted an older chapter during clean up, and it sent out emails when I put it back. New chapter will be on Friday, as usual.**

* * *

The next time Cedric's eyes opened, Birch was standing over them, calling his name.

"Sorry to wake you, sir, but everyone is needed on stage for the announcement." He explained his interruption of Cedric's sleep. Forgetting Sofia was using him for a pillow, Cedric stretched his stiff limbs before he felt her stir. He looked down at the girl, still sleeping more or less soundly, and reached a hand down to shake her shoulder.

"Sofia, we need to get up." Cedric told her. She groaned, slowly opening her eyes and blinking up at her friend.

"You have about five minutes." Birch told him before scurrying off. Sofia flopped her arm across him, ready to fall right back into dreamland, but he couldn't let her do it. He shook her again.

"Oh, no. You're needed on stage." He scolded her gently. She muttered something he couldn't make out, her face now buried into him, her words tickling his side. He suppressed a laugh and shook her once more.

"I didn't hear that." He told her. She lifted her head back up slightly.

"Mr Birch said we have five more minutes." She repeated, a slight whine in her voice.

"S'right. Five minutes to make it look like we haven't been laying in a heap on a hard bench ever since our turn ended." Cedric pointed out, lifting himself slowly. She whimpered, but sat up, too, giving a great yawn as she rubbed at her tired eyes. He helped her tame some wayward hairs, and she smoothed her new dress. As he ran his fingers through his own hair to make sure it wasn't a mess, he caught her trying to lay back down.

"Come on, they want Sofia the Sweet, not Sofia the Sleepyhead." He chided, eliciting a small laugh from his companion. He pulled the girl to her feet, but she wobbled slighty and he frowned.

"Right, back up you go." He said, bending down in front of the bench.

"Showtime!" Birch announced as he whizzed past them.

Sofia climbed onto Cedric's back and out they went. Cedric found a spot to stand, and watched the other magical pairings as they filtered out. Merlin had been right, none of the other apprentices were even close to Sofia's age. He'd have to remember to emphasize that fact, should she need cheering up after the winners were declared. The tension on stage was palpable, and Cedric decided that whatever the outcome, he wished they would just get on with it already.

Once everyone was present and accounted for, Merlin made his way to the center front of the platform. His magically enhanced voice boomed across the festival grounds, drawing a few latecomers to the audience.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming today. It has been a grand day, and we're pleased to announce that the judges have come to a decision regarding the outcome of today's contest." The crowd murmured and Cedric took a deep breath.

"This is it." He whispered to Sofia. She tightened her arms around him nervously.

"But first, I'd like to say a few words. It has been my proud duty to attend these events for many a year now, and I just want to thank everyone here for making this, what I believe to be, our best year ever..." Cedric groaned. _I should have known there would be a speech first._ He thought.

"Are they gonna tell us soon?" Sofia asked impatiently, and Cedric shook his head.

"First, Merlin is going to make a speech. Then they'll announce third place, and second, and finally first." He whispered.

"Do you think we won anything?" Sofia asked him.

"If we didn't, than the other judges must be blind fools " He answered, though he didn't feel half as certain as his words would suggest. Thankfully, the speech wasn't too long, and soon it was time.

"The third place winners are... Schmendric the Sagely and his apprentice Molly!" Merlin announced, as another blue-clad sorcerer and his adult apprentice approached and received a certificate from the famous magician. Molly bowed slightly, and Merlin slipped a white ribbon around her neck. They turned and bowed to the crowd, who cheered politely, before making their way back to their spots.

"In second place... Kokiri the Courageous and her apprentice Kiki!" The crowd grew louder as the pair approached the front. The sorceress had long reddish brown hair, and her apprentice, a girl that looked to be about 16, had black hair kept short and tied back with a simple red bow. After they received their certificate and red ribbon, they bowed and headed back to their spot, but Kiki broke away from her sorceress and ran back to the front to blow a kiss and take another bow, which the audience thought was hilarious. Then she hurried back to her spot. Cedric felt Sofia tense against his back, her arms tight around him. He reached up and gave her arm an answering squeeze.

"No matter what happens, you did great." He reminded her softly.

"And finally, in First Place... Cedric the Sensational and his young apprentice Sofia!" Cedric was in so much shock that at first he didn't react. When Sofia began to wriggle down, he snapped back to reality, bending to let her get to her feet safely. She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to the front of the stage.

"I've had the good fortune to meet these two before, and I must say that this pair is clearly on their way to greatness." Merlin addressed the crowd. He turned his kind eyes to Cedric and extended the certificate towards him. When Cedric again failed to react, Sofia nudged him with her elbow.

"Th-thank you, Master Merlin." He managed to stammer out, grabbing the parchment with a shaking hand. Merlin placed the blue ribbon around Sofia's neck and she threw her arms around the elderly sorcerer. He reacted with surprise at first, his arms held in the air before returning the embrace. Cedric pulled her away, and they faced the audience to take their bows. Cedric looked out over the crowd of people, who were scrambling to their feet to give them a standing ovation.

On one side, he spotted his sister and niece, and a little further towards the middle he recognized his parents. He pointed them out to Sofia, who forgot all about bowing to wave to Calista happily. Finally, he led her back to where they had been standing when they were called.

"To the rest of you, fantastic work, and we hope to see you next year." Merlin concluded.

Once they were all dismissed from the stage, Cedric hurried Sofia back to their bench, retrieving his satchel and her garment bag. He handed the fancy dress to Sofia, who frowned at it.

"Can't I just wear my new dress? Pleeease." She asked him, eyes begging him to say yes. He shook his head, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You know as well as I do that this is no dress for a prince's birthday party. It's time to be Princess Sofia again." He told her gently.

"Will you stay with me at the party, Mr Ceedric?" She begged.

"No. I have other things I need to take care of, and your mother will be there if you need anything." He informed her. Under other circumstances, he might have conceded, but Dax needed to be at the party, so he kept his features firm as he ushered the girl off to the changing area, a small square room built into the side of the structure.

"Mr Ceedric." She called after a while. With a sigh, he opened the thin wooden door and bent to fasten the back and tie the laces of her dress, working more patiently and doing his best to make it look nice this time so she would be presentable at the party.

"Uncle Ceddy! Sofia!" A familiar voice rang out as Calista bolted towards the dressing area. Sofia turned and scooted past him, his hands still on her laces, pulling the bow he had just finished right back out. The girls gave each other a big hug, squirming around as Cedric tried to redo the laces. Just as he succeeded, they began to bounce in excitement, chattering away to each other about the festival and undoing his efforts again. Cedric gave a groan.

"Be still, child!" Cedric spat, a bit harsher than he had meant to. Sofia turned to apologize, pulling the laces completely out of his hands, and he shot her a stern look. Doing her best to appear contrite, she turned back around and stood as still as she could manage, letting him retie the bow one last time. Calista circled around to watch him curiously.

"Whatcha doing, Uncle Ceddy?" Calista asked him as he finished.

"Apparently, princess dresses aren't designed so that a girl can dress herself." He griped, letting go of the bow before it could be tugged apart again and rocking back onto his heels to inspect his work. Calista's eyes widened.

"You mean to tell me someone dresses you everyday?" She asked Sofia in surprise. The princess was older than her, but Calista dressed herself and had done so for a while now.

"Not today! Mr Ceedric bought me a dress I can change into all by myself!" She chimed, gesturing to the new garment and smiling at her friend.

"Is that the one you wore on stage? It's very pretty, Sofia." Calista went over and picked it up, examining it carefully.

"It's Uncle Ceddy's colors." She pointed out, as though they might not have noticed it. Sofia nodded as Cedric pried the dress away from his niece, carefully tucking it into the garment bag. He set the bag and his satchel next to each other and transported them to his workshop, no longer needing either of them.

"Goodbye, Sofia the Sweet." Sofia called softly as the items disappeared. Cedric wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"There will be other days for that." He said, unaware that the girl took his words as a promise for future magical outings.

"We should be going." He said, preparing to lead her to the carriage line.

"Aw, can't she stay for the rest of the festival? There's going to be fireworks, and a juggler, and all sorts of fun things to see!" Calista tried her best to keep them from leaving. Sofia gazed up at Cedric expectantly, but he knew they couldn't stay any longer.

"Her mother is expecting her." He reasoned with his niece. The girls exchanged goodbye hugs, both wishing Sofia could stay for the rest of the day. Cedric took her hand as they exited the structure and walked to the carriages. Calista tagged along behind them, her and Sofia waving goodbye a few more times as Cedric loaded the princess into a coach.

"It's strange. I couldn't wait for this party, but now I wish I didn't have to go." Sofia confided to the sorcerer.

"That's just because you were having so much fun at the festival. Once you're enjoying the party, you'll be glad you went." He reassured her. _And hopefully Dax will be able to make amends while you're there, too._ He added in his head.

"I guess so..." She said, not sounding too convinced. The two rode most of the way to Tangu in companionable silence, watching the scenery pass by the window of the carriage. Every so often, one would point out something of interest to the other. A tower here, gardens that formed an interesting aerial view there. Finally, Sofia spotted the Hanging Gardens and showed them to Cedric, telling him all about the time a wild carpet had caused her and Amber to be stuck there and miss Zandar's whole party.

"That must have been upsetting." Was all Cedric could think of to say.

"Oh, no. Amber and I learned how to tame a wild carpet. We saw all of Tangu and had a wonderful adventure. It was ah-mazing!" She went on, not noticing the slight smirk on her friend's face. She really does see the good in everything, doesn't she? Cedric mused to himself. Not long after they passed the Hanging Garden, the carriage began to descend, signaling that they would soon be landing at Prince Zandar's palace.

"I really did have the most wonderful day today. Thank you, Mr Ceedric." Sofia smiled warmly at him as she spoke.

"You're welcome, Princess Sofia. I had a nice time, too." He replied as the carriage stopped.

"Do you think we can do it again sometime soon?" She asked her friend.

"It'll be a while before the next festival. Middle of summer, I believe." He explained. Sofia shook her head.

"I don't mean the festival." She pressed, hoping he would understand.

"I'd like that very much, Princess." He answered. The carriage door opened, and Cedric helped the girl climb out. He began to escort her inside, but she stopped him.

"I was hoping to wait out here, and maybe go in together with some of my friends when they arrive." She explained. Cedric eyed the almost empty carriage lane warily.

"We're a little late. Your friends are probably already inside. Besides, I wouldn't be much of an escort if I left you out here by yourself." He hoped that would convince her. He wasn't entirely sure Dax could get in by himself, but Cedric could escort the princess in with few questions asked. Once inside, it would be easy to transform and go about his business as if he belonged there.

"You could wait here with me..." Sofia ventured, practically singing out the words.

"I already told you, I have somewhere else I need to be." Cedric reminded her. _Rather, someone else I need to be._ He corrected himself. She chewed her lip, trying to think of a way to get what she wanted. Cedric almost never told her 'no' for very long, but it was becoming clear that he wouldn't be swayed this time. Finally, she gave a defeated sigh.

"Okay, let's go inside." She conceded, and they turned back towards the palace.


	25. The Party pt 1

**Author's Note:** So, A LOT of the fun in reading reviews is watching you guys speculate on upcoming plot points. I really enjoyed the ideas of what would happen when Cedric met Miranda as 'Mendax', especially because this scene has been written for over a month. And yes, you really do have to suspend disbelief for Cedric's 'disguise', but to be fair, I started this story before Sofia saw him as a child, and for the sake of the story we're pretending she still hasn't, yet. ;)

* * *

When they were inside the palace and far enough from the entrance that Cedric could reasonably pretend to leave without actually needing to exit, they said their goodbyes.

Sofia made one last attempt to convince him to stay, of course, but he stood his ground, and soon she was waving and heading deeper into the grand hall. He turned and walked away until he was sure that they could no longer see each other, then ducked down the first corridor he passed, relieved to find it empty.

He noticed an alcove that would give him the perfect amount of cover, and marveled at his good fortune. Soon, Cedric was heading back in to the main part of the palace, only this time as a ten-year-old boy.

He followed the crowd until they came to the ballroom. When he spotted Sofia, he hid behind a pillar to try and puzzle out what he would say to her when he got the chance to talk to her. Try as he might, he couldn't find the proper words to convey the message of 'Sorry I beat up your brother, but I think your mutual crush is appalling and I was livid when he accidentally told me about it' in a way that made the situation any better.

Cedric peeked around the large marble beam and noticed that Sofia was coming closer to his hiding spot. He decided he'd just have to wing it, figuring he'd been most successful as Dax when he didn't overthink things. He held his breath and waited.

Soon, the princess passed by him, and he reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her behind the pillar with him. She spun around to face him, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Dax, what are you doing?" She demanded, her shock soon turning into indignation. He swallowed hard.

"I know you're angry with me, but you didn't even let me explain myself, Sofia." He began.

"What could you say that would possibly explain... that?" She asked, her sapphire eyes boring into his.

"James... he said..." Cedric almost told her everything, but as she stood there, her free hand planted on her hip, face set in anger, he found he couldn't do it, especially because he'd also have to explain his reaction when he didn't entirely understand it himself.

"He said I endangered you on purpose, just so I could show off. That made me so angry. I would never intentionally risk your safety, Sofia." Relief flooded through him as he watched her features melt into a more understanding look. He kept his grip on her arm, though, still afraid she might run off before he had a chance to be forgiven.

"What you did still wasn't okay." Sofia scolded him. He nodded contritely. _If only you knew exactly how true those words are._ He griped to himself.

"I know, and I'm sorry. Do you think you'll ever be able to forgive me?" Suddenly it occurred to him that he would do almost anything to earn her forgiveness, and not just because her hating him interfered with his plans. He hoped this would be enough though.

"I don't know, Dax. I'm still really upset about the whole thing." He could tell she was being honest. Sofia wasn't the type to toy with someone for fun, or pretend to still be angry just to see how far a friend would go to appease her.

"I know you are, and I really want to make it up to you. We have the whole weekend together. I don't want to spend it with you hating me." Now it was Sofia's turn to look guilty.

"I don't hate you, and I shouldn't have said I did. I'm sorry, too." She told him softly, regretting her words in the infirmary. Yes, she was still angry and very confused, but she definitely didn't hate either him or her brother for what they did.

"Sofia, there you are!" A familiar voice spoke, causing Cedric to pull his hand away from Sofia's arm quickly, as though the contact might very well burn him.

"Hi, mom. I just arrived a little while ago." Sofia greeted Queen Miranda with a smile and a wave.

"How did everything go?" Miranda asked, not yet noticing the young prince who was trying desperately to disappear into the marble column.

"We won! I got a blue ribbon, and Merlin said all sorts of nice things about us." She filled her mom in on the most important details. When Cedric attempted to skirt around the other side of the beam and escape, he inadvertently alerted the queen to his presence, instead.

"Oh, hello there, I don't believe we've met." Miranda gave him her nicest smile, but he found himself very nervous.

"H-hello. I'm... I..." He stammered. Could he really lie to the queen? He supposed it shouldn't be much different than lying to everyone else, and yet he found himself having trouble forming the simplest of words. It occured to him that she'd never touched his enchanted papers, and he hoped she was still ignorant enough of the various kingdoms to keep from finding him out.

"This is Prince Mendax. He's the new boy at my school that I told you about." Sofia made the introduction for him, and in his thoughts he thanked her profusely for it.

"Oh, yes. You go by Dax, right?" Miranda examined the boy, noting that he stood head and shoulders taller than her youngest daughter. She mused over his black and white hair, wondering if he might be somehow related to her royal sorcerer before remembering her husband's explanation that sorcerers weren't allowed to be royalty and vice versa. _Still, affairs do happen..._ She reminded herself. It amused her to ponder that he may even be Cedric's biological son. After all, the man was attractive enough... when he wasn't sulking about with his shoulders slumped.

"Yes, mum." He answered simply, not exactly knowing what an unrelated prince would call the queen of another kingdom, but pretty sure a simple ma'am would suffice.

"Goodness, your accent is adorable! Is that why you were hesitant to speak?" Miranda gushed over him, and he felt his face heating. He managed a simple nod, wishing the queen would hurry up and lose interest in him. He was already quite aware that his accent was heavier as a young boy, and he didn't find it particulary amusing, having been teased for it just often enough to be sensitive.

Sofia stifled laughter, not wanting to embarrass her friend, but secretly finding his accent quite interesting as well. He shot his friend a dirty look. Before he could respond, Amber, having noticed her mother talking to them, rushed over and pulled Sofia away to grab refreshments and talk, leaving Cedric at the mercy of Miranda.

"Are your parents here? I would absolutely love to meet them!" Miranda asked, excited at the prospect of becoming acquainted with a new royal family. Cedric shook his head.

"My regent dropped me off at the gates." Cedric muttered lamely, pointedly ignoring the Queen's intense gaze. A look of sympathy crossed Miranda's face as the weight of the boy's words sank in.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Sofia didn't mention..." She started to apologize.

"I don't think she knows. I never said anything, at least." He explained after some quick thinking.

"I understand. I lost Sofia's father, and it was the hardest thing I've ever dealt with. You'll talk to her about it when you're ready." Miranda soothed, unaware that her attempt at comforting the prince was actually having the opposite effect.

"Maybe." He stated simply. A silence settled on the pair before Miranda changed the subject.

"How old are you, Dax?" She inquired, beaming at the boy.

"Ten and a half." He replied, not quite sure why he threw in the half, but figuring it sounded good, anyways. Miranda grinned. Her own children often added a half to their ages to feel more mature, it was something adults never bothered with, no longer in a hurry to grow up, and she loved when kids did it.

"You really should have a chaperone, then. How about I keep an eye out for you?" She winked at him, and he went back to feeling incredibly awkward. He felt a hand grasp his and turned his head to see Sofia had returned.

"Dax, you must come try some of this punch! It's enchanted to have tiny bubbles in it, and they tickle your nose when you put the cup to your lips to drink it!" He glanced back at Miranda, hoping she was done with him.

"You kids have fun!" She smiled and waved goodbye, heading back into the crowd.


	26. The Party pt 2

**Author's Note:** Another double chapter. Not super thrilled with the first half, but it was the last (and best) of several drafts, and eventually I just had to admit that it was as good as it would get. I think some of you will be really happy with 2 characters who make appearances during the party. Also, comments are bugged from my trying to condense the older chapters. I'm hoping using names instead of numbers will help, but I'm not sure. If you can't comment and REALLY want to tell me sobering, feel free to message me or take advantage of my tumblr.

* * *

"Is this what your sister stole you away for?" Cedric asked, eyeing his glass of punch warily. Sofia finished off her own glass of the red liquid before answering.

"Yes, she's just in love with the stuff. She's planning to ask our sorcerer to make it at our next event. She says every palace will have it for parties, soon." Sofia replied, pouring herself another glass. Cedric stifled a groan. _Of course she's going to force me to copy this_. He thought. He lifted the glass to his mouth, noting that Sofia had been right about it tickling. After his first sip, he did have to admit that it was very good.

"So... You actually met Merlin?" He asked Sofia, pretending this was new information to him.

"Oh, I didn't get to tell you about my adventure, yet! It was actually the second time I've met him, but that's not the important part." She began to chat his ear off about the festival, and Cedric was surprised by how easy it was to earnestly listen to and enjoy her story, despite having just lived all of it. He especially liked the part where she gushed over the dress he had bought her, describing the garment in amazing detail.

"You must see it sometime, Dax. It's the most beautiful dress ever made!" She bubbled, leaving out the part about being able to put it on independently so he wouldn't think less of her for not being able to do so with all of her clothing. Cedric pondered her words, high praise from a princess who had a gown closet as big as some people's houses. She went on with her story. Soon, she was describing the contest.

"I was so scared when I froze Mr Ceedric. I knew I could do the freezing part. It was the unfreezing that I wasn't so sure about. You see, I'd never tried the counter-spell on a person before." She explained, going on to tell him about the hush that fell upon the crowd as she gathered her courage and attempted the spell.

"And then, he was back. He stood up from the table, and he was so happy the trick had gone well that he lifted me up and spun me around right there on the stage!" As she recounted this action, she took his hands in hers, pulling him around in circles with her, her good mood becoming quite infectious. When she ended the motion, she fell into his arms, dizzyness overtaking her slightly. He held her at first, but his senses soon returned and he pulled himself away.

"I'm glad you had a good time, Sofia." Cedric commented stiffly. They stood and drank their punch quietly for a while. Just as Cedric was taking his last sip, Amber marched over to them.

"I wasn't going to say this when you were with my mother, but I hope you're happy with yourself. Thanks to you, my brother is missing his best friend's birthday party!" She blew up at Cedric, standing on her toes so that she could be eye-to-eye with the older boy, her angry green eyes flaring, voice full of venom.

"Amber, wait-" Sofia began, but Cedric held up a hand to stop her.

"I'm sorry you're upset with me, Princess Amber, and I shouldn't have hit your brother, but you heard the things he said to me." He tried to explain. _I'm not sorry James didn't get to come to the party, though._ He added to himself.

"Ambe-" Sofia tried again, but this time Amber stopped her.

"What he said to you doesn't change anything. Why do you get to be here when he doesn't? It's not fair! You hit him first. He was just defending himself." She said, not willing to back down.

Cedric noticed that the confrontation was starting to draw attention from the people around them. He tried to think of a way to diffuse the blonde princess's anger, but came up blank. Sofia nudged Cedric backwards and moved so she was between them, determined to be heard.

"Amber, I know how you feel. I'm really sad that James can't be here, too. But they both were fighting, and Dad was the one who decided he couldn't come. Dax said he was sorry, and staying angry at him doesn't change anything." Sofia did her best to mend the rift between her friend and her sister. Amber hesitated, her eyes angrily shifting between Sofia and the sorcerer.

"Fine, I've had my say, for now. But this isn't over." Amber said, huffing away from the pair. Sofia tried to turn back to her friend, only to find him storming off in the other direction, fists curled at his sides. When she tried to follow him, he broke off into a run, his longer legs allowing him to easily outstride the princess. Soon, Sofia lost sight of him completely.

When Sofia reached the great hall, she glanced back in the direction of the ballroom, wondering if it was really okay to disappear from the party like that. With a sigh, she turned back to look for her friend, but she couldn't find any trace of him.

"Dax!" She called, heading down a nearby hallway. She didn't really expect an answer, but still frowned at the silence. She walked until the corridor turned into another one, then another.

"Dax! Where are you?" She tried again. She was about to give up and head back to the party when she realized with a start that she didn't know the way back. She ran down one path, following it around a corner, only to find it splintered into three more. She picked one and rushed down it. After a few more minutes of running, she hit a dead end and threw herself down on the floor in frustration.

A slight shuffling sound behind her caught her attention. Glancing in that direction, she caught sight of her friend scrambling to his feet. He had been sitting in an alcove, which afforded him cover as she barreled down the hallway, but didn't protect him from her gaze at this angle. His wide eyes shifted nervously down the hallway behind them, and she realized that he was considering running off again.

"Why did you leave like that, Dax?" She asked him quietly.

"Nobody wants me at that party." He replied matter-of-factly, trying to hide the bitterness from his voice and keeping his eyes trained on his exit route.

"I want you here. I asked you to come, didn't I?" Sofia insisted, lifting herself to her feet so she could catch him if he ran off again.

"You were just being polite. You're nice to everyone all the time. It doesn't _mean_ anything." He muttered.

Cedric tried hard to stop the words spilling out of his mouth. They'd spent the whole day together, and then she'd blathered on about it to Dax as if it was the best thing that ever happened to her. She insisted to everyone that he was her best friend. _So why do I feel like this?_ He wondered. Before he even noticed her approaching, her hands were on his arm.

"No, Dax. I asked you here because I wanted you to come. I like you, and I want to get to know you better." Sofia told her friend, feeling herself blush as she spoke. Cedric shook his head, prying her hands off of him.

"James is the one you really wanted to be with. You said so yourself." Cedric sulked. Sofia furrowed her brow at him in confusion, not sure what one thing had to do with the other.

"Of course I wanted him to be here. He's my brother. We were supposed to spend some time together, and Zandar is his best friend. But that doesn't mean I don't want you here." Sofia tried to reassure her friend. Cedric scowled at the princess, angry that she was still hiding her feelings about James from him, alongside that other emotion he still refused to identify.

"I don't want to be your consolation prize, Sofia." He blurted out, his eyes turning quickly downwards, examining his gloved hands. He hadn't really meant to say it, and now the words hung palpably in front of him, leaving him to wish he could go back to before he ever spoke them. _What is wrong with me?_ He wondered, desperate to make sense of the mess of emotions inside of him.

As Cedric the Sensational, he had felt an almost paternal pride in the girl, and wished to protect her. But as Dax, everything was different. He realized that Sofia had been speaking and he'd missed it.

"What did you say?" He asked, now adding guilt for not listening to his growing bundle of emotional turmoil.

"Do you... like me?" Sofia asked him. He could hear in her voice that she was asking to confirm her suspicions and not because she was merely hoping he did. His face burned red as he struggled to push out the words that threatened to stick in his throat.

"I... think we... could be fri-friends." He stammered out. Looking back to Sofia, her face was unreadable, an oddity for a girl who usually wore her heart on her sleeve. He watched her bite her lip, pondering his reply.

"Let's go back to the party." She finally said. Cedric wondered if her voice had really cracked slightly, or if he had imagined it.

* * *

"Dance with me?" Sofia asked, offering her hand to her companion.

"I don't dance." Cedric insisted, staring at her hand like it was a snake that would bite him. Despite having come back to the party over a half hour ago, he was still a mess inside, and he rather doubted that dancing with Sofia would do anything to ease his confusion.

"A prince who can't dance?" Sofia questioned skeptically, raising her eyebrow, leading Cedric to wonder just when she had started imitating his quirks.

"I can, I just don't like to." He confessed stiffly, hoping that would be the end of the discussion.

"I don't believe you." Sofia challenged, giving him a mischievous grin. Cedric scoffed.

"About which part?" He demanded.

"All of it. Either you really can't dance and would like to, or you can and would still like to, but something else is keeping you from it." She studied him intently, trying to discern which of her theories were true.

"The end result is the same." He brushed her comment off, even though her assessment was accurate enough to be spooky.

"Yes. If you can't dance, I'll be happy to teach you. If you can, then I insist you come with me." She smiled widely, somehow sure that she had won. His defeated sigh confirmed her victory.

"Only one dance, Sofia." He warned, taking her hand and leading her to the floor. Sofia was prepared to show him what to do, but was pleasantly surprised to find that he did already know, after all. They stood at the ready until the music started, then began to waltz across the floor.

It was bittersweet that James wasn't present, since he always sought her out for the first dance, but she rather enjoyed dancing with Dax, so she focused on the current moment, instead.

"You're an amazing dancer." She complimented him sincerely, watching as the corners of his mouth tipped upwards at her words. It was a little disconcerting, being so close to Sofia while juggling so many contradictory thoughts about their friendship, but compliments from her never failed to make him feel better, no matter how old he was.

As they waltzed, Cedric noticed Princess Amber shooting him death stares from the side of the room. _Guess she's not planning our wedding anymore._ He mused, remembering what Sofia had told him that day in the magic classroom.

"Do you suppose your sister will ever forgive me?" Cedric questioned, still watching the blonde princess. He still felt he owed the girl a favor for defending him in the infirmary, after all. Sofia followed his gaze to her sibling.

"Eventually. James may not, though." Sofia responded quietly.

Cedric didn't particularly care if he was ever on good terms with James again, but he kept quiet about that. He turned his attention back to Sofia. It took a little extra concentration to dance well in the body of a lanky eleven year old, but he thought he was managing alright, and he was actually enjoying this, allowing himself to get caught up in the moment.

The music stopped, and Cedric quickly retreated back to the sidelines despite Sofia's protests. When she stopped pestering him from behind, he turned to find her receiving an invitation from a prince he recognized from classes, though it took him a minute to recall that the boy's name was Hugo. Sofia darted her eyes back to Cedric, who did his best to appear disinterested, then accepted the offer.

Looking through the crowd, he found that the older princess of Enchancia was also dancing, along with just about everyone else in attendance. With nothing else to do, he stood on the sidelines and watched Sofia dance. He couldn't help but notice how well they danced together, like they had spent a decent amount of time doing this before today.

When a second prince, one he didn't recognize from Royal Prep, came and asked Sofia to dance, Cedric watched the girl laugh, covering her mouth to keep from making an unseemly amount of noise as she graciously accepted his invitation by embracing him tightly.

Cedric studied this new partner as he led Sofia, who was now wrapped cozily around his arm, to the floor. The prince was copper-toned, and his shaggy black hair hung in his face and fell low on his neck. He wore a purple suit with gold embellishments and a thick red sash. It was clear that Sofia not only knew him, but was excited to see him there.

Cedric watched as they chatted away with a familiarity that caused those troublesome feelings from earlier to resurface hard. The cognizant part of him chided himself for being ridiculous, and he finally pried himself away from the scene to get some more of the bubbly punch.

As Cedric approached the table, he spotted another familiar face, though he couldn't for the life of him remember who she was, other than that she was in the Sofia's class.

"Hello." Cedric greeted her politely. He wasn't usually one for small talk, but it beat standing around watching Sofia and the mystery prince.

"Oh, um... Hi... D-Dax." The princess stammered out, her pale face turning beet red beneath her thick black bangs. Cedric had hoped she'd give him more to work with, and unsure what to say next, he stood awkwardly for a minute before pouring his punch.

"You don't like to dance, either?" Cedric finally asked her before taking a sip of his drink.

"Um, no... I mean yes, I like to... I love dancing, actually. I just... No one ever asks me." She stuttered through the explanation, staring at the floor as she spoke. Cedric felt an uncharacteristic pang of sympathy, thinking back to school dances spent alone, ones he would have skipped if his mother wasn't so excited to see him go.

"I'm sorry, what's your name again?" Cedric inquired, feeling a little embarrassed that he didn't already know it.

"Princess Vivian, of Z-Zumaria." She replied, slightly more at ease with this simple question. Cedric bowed deeply and offered his hand.

"Princess Vivian, would you honor me with a dance?" Cedric asked as formally as he could muster, glancing back up and flashing her the charming grin he once reserved for trying to con Sofia out of her amulet.

"Really?" Vivian practically squealed out. When Cedric nodded, she sucked in a deep breath.

"I-I mean, yes." She answered more quietly, accepting his hand and letting him lead her to the floor. Though it occurred to him that he'd have a better view from here, Cedric made sure to focus on his current partner and not Sofia, intent on giving the raven-haired princess a nice dance.

"You're really good at this." Cedric said to get conversation moving again. His partner blushed again.

"Thank you, so are you. Especially for someone who doesn't like to dance." She returned the sentiment, clearly starting to warm to the situation.

"I'll tell you a secret. I rather enjoy dancing. I do it alone all the time." He confided in his partner.

"Then why do you pretend to hate it?" She prodded gently.

"When I was... at my old school, nobody ever wanted to dance with me, either." He frowned slightly at the memories, despite the good time he was having with Vivian.

"I find that hard to believe. I bet every girl here wants to dance with you, Dax." Vivian commented, a hint of what sounded like adoration in her voice.

"I don't recognize this piece." Cedric admitted, listening intently to the song.

"That's because it's fairly new. It's part of 'Almack's Quadrilles'." Vivian told him. Cedric was genuinely impressed.

"You like music, then?" He mused, twirling her around at what seemed to be the appropriate moment for the unfamiliar tune. The princess nodded.

"I do. I play a lot of instruments, but mostly the mandolin." She answered with the first smile that Cedric had seen since he approached her.

"That's a lovely instrument. I play the piano." He confessed, not used to volunteering the fact.

"I thought so. You have the fingers for it." Vivian replied, glancing down at their entwined hands. They talked about music for a while longer, so engrossed in the conversation that Cedric missed when one song ended and the next began.

"I have a pet dragon." Vivian changed topics once they exhausted the old one and realized the music had changed. Cedric almost told her about his familiar but stalled, having the good sense to recognize that it was enough information to give his identity away if it somehow got back to Sofia.

"What's your dragon's name?" He asked instead.

"Crackle." Vivian answered, and Cedric barely managed not to look shocked _. That's the dragon that came to my tower with Sofia._ He thought to himself.

"I wish I had a pet." He replied, channeling how he felt before he had Wormwood.

"What kind of pet would you have?" Vivian asked as they spun back to their starting position yet again. Cedric pondered what he would have if not a raven.

"I'm actually not sure. Something unique. And loyal, but independent. I like animals that fly." He finally supplied the answer. Vivian smiled at him again, letting out a small giggle, and Cedric quirked his eyebrow.

"Why is that funny?" He questioned lightly.

"You just described Crackle." She informed him, laughing again. Cedric joined her this time.

"Maybe something a little less fiery, though. I come close enough to burning my chambers down without help." He quipped, gaining a curious glance from his partner.

"I mess up my potions a lot." He offered the explanation with a small amount of trepidation. Vivian simply nodded.

"You seem to be really good with spells, though. I have a hard time with sorcery stuff." She confessed quietly. This time, they noticed when the song ended.

"Thank you." Vivian said, letting go of Cedric to head back to the side of the room. With nothing else to do, and finding their conversation surprisingly enjoyable, he followed.

"Your welcome, but it wasn't really a big deal." He muttered as they walked.

"No, it was. Asking me to dance was great on its own, but then you actually paid attention to me. I had a really nice time." She was blushing furiously, but Cedric noticed that her stutter had vanished.

"I had fun, too. You're really easy to talk to." He told the princess sincerely.

"I wasn't always. Before Sofia, I would have just run away when you said hello to me." She informed him. At the mention of her name, Cedric couldn't help but scan the crowd, landing his gaze on Sofia and the strange prince, who were dancing far too close to be proper in his opinion. Vivian followed his eyes, smiling as she watched her friend dance. "She has this strange way of bringing out the best in everyone around her." She continued, and Cedric nodded absently.

"Yes, I suppose she does." He muttered.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Got the idea to write a scene with kid!Cedric and Vivian, and just ran with it. I feel like these two could totally get along well, if they every really got to interact in universe.


End file.
